Back in the spring of 2016 I noticed that an oriental poppy had
seeded itself close to an ancient one at the bottom of my garden. I knew it
would get well smothered by other growth if I left it there, so I decided to move
it even though I’d read that poppies don’t like being moved.
I kept plenty of earth around its roots and planted it in a
clearer space at the top of the garden, and was disappointed to see it
apparently die back to nothing very quickly. Fortunately I’d noticed that poppy
leaves do die back very soon after flowering, so I left the little newbie in
place. In the spring of 2017 a few shoots appeared, but nothing else. In the spring
of 2018 it grew to a height of about a foot. This year it’s grown to twice that
height and has its first flower bud. Do I take great delight in that? Yes I do,
because the god of small things is usually the one to bring me cheer when I
need it.
‘But a poppy plant is a minor matter,’ I hear you say.
No it isn’t. It’s a small matter, but not a minor one. There’s
a difference. My idea of success is not about childishly threatening to destroy
Iran
if it doesn’t cease being anti-American, but rather about seeing new and
colourful life take hold and prosper. And I heard recently that appreciating
the value of small things is a sign of emotional maturity, so I’d say the
current score is Trump 0 : JJ 1.
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