Red Tulips

"And tulips, children love to stretch

Their fingers down, to feel in each

Its beauty's secret nearer." 

~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning, A Flower in a Letter

*****

When I moved here two autumns ago most of the flowering plants had already bloomed and faded and the showiest plants were a thick tangle of heavy tomato vines in the garden behind the house. The previous owners had planted a big patch of them and the plants had taken over nearly all of the garden and had grown to enormous size. From that first September to the beginning of October the little ones and I enjoyed going out each day and picking the ripe red and yellow tomatoes, warm from the sun and bursting with flavor beneath thin skins. 

That first spring after moving I had no idea what to expect in the flower beds around the house. I didn't really expect anything at all but to my surprise that first April brought a massive sweep of yellow daffodils in the back yard, clumps of them in the front flower beds and - to my delight - a lovely show of bright red tulips. 

Tulips do not last very long so this spring we have been enjoying them to the fullest extent possible. They arrived pretty early this year and we watched with excitement as they began to swell and open. As of now, they have already peaked and are starting to drop their petals. If we are lucky they will last a few more days. Tonight Rosie found a broken one and brought it inside, where it faintly perfumes the entire room she put it in. 

Just as in Elizabeth Barrett Brownings poem, Rosie loves to peer into the bowl of each tulip and to carefully feel the velvety centers. We recently read the story of Thumbelina so she cherishes the hope that perhaps, just maybe, she might find a tiny little girl inside. This fairy-tale book was given to me by my grandparents when I was very small and the timeless stories and lovely illustrations are just as enjoyable to my little ones as they were to me - and for that matter, just as enjoyable to me, now almost 33, as they were when I was young!

Red tulips symbolize eternal love and I feel blessed to have such pretty messengers spring up in my front garden each year! Although, certainly, none of them are prettier than my own sweet Rose. 

*****

"The sun
Smiles on the earth, and the exuberant earth
Returns the smile in flowers-'twas so with me:
I love thee as a fountain leaps to light
I can do nothing else."

~ Alexander Smith