Half a Life

If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere.  

~ Vincent Van Gogh

The flower stood proud at Lottie’s feet quivering at the edge of the freshly mowed lawn. The sun was beating down on her shoulders and she knew her skin would soon be golden. She licked her lips tasting the remnants of lemonade her mother had made for her.

She could hear the children in her neighbours garden squeal with delight as they jumped over the garden sprinkler in their swimming costumes. As Lottie brushed her bare toes over the soft petals she captured the moment in her mind’s eye. This was what summer felt like.

But as she crouched down to pick up the red flower she noticed it was withering away. Was it the heat? Or was it just coming to end of its life? She pulled off the thin scarf shading her face from the sun and ran her hand over her smooth head. Lottie wanted this little red flower, the name of which she didn’t know, but somehow she knew she wouldn’t take it back inside with her. Instead a smile formed on her lips knowing that she wasn’t the only one anymore.

About the photo: In trying to capture all that is perfect, we sometimes forget that damaged has its own beauty. Following the heatwave in September 2011, this flower is half dead but yet it manages to express that it has lived a full life.