Roses are red, violets are blue, and Frangipanis rule the world. Ever heard of that? Yes? No? Well, it doesn’t go like that, but that’s how it ought to.
I love flowers and not only during Valentine’s Day, I love them in sickness and in health, in good and bad times, I cherish and hold them, and only death will do us part. I love how pretty they are and how delicately they are woven, I love their smell and I love how they never fail to fill me with bubbles of pleasure from within whenever I come across them. I love how they grow all over the place in various shapes and sizes; wearing their colourful coats of honour and choosing to remain cheerful just to brighten up my days.
Frangipanis, as you may have guessed, are my favourite flowers. They are not as overrated as the rose flower, even though they deserve all the glory and praise in the flower kingdom. They are delicate and pure looking, have beautiful waxy petals and sweet rich fragrance. They bloom with sheer beauty, making them look sensational on the trees. The centre of the Frangipani flower always has a different colour from the rest of the flower. The most common is the white, which has a yellow centre. Other colours include red and orange.
Commonly known as Plumeria, they first appeared in the mid 19th century in the southern forests of Mexico and were named after a 16th-century Italian nobleman called Marquis Frangipani, a creator of perfumes that were used to scent gloves. Once people discovered the scent of the Plumeria, it reminded them of Marquis Perfumes and hence the flower was called Frangipani. You see just like humans, the Frangipanis have DNA that allows their origin and heritage to be traceable. The flowers yield no nectar, and simply trick their pollinators- the sphinx moths, to pollinate them. They do this by emitting a very strong fragrance at night, hence seducing the months, which is very cunning of them.
Frangipanis have various meanings and uses amongst the different societies and cultural beliefs in the world. Some people believe it signifies love and fertility, others believe it represents a good status in society, to others, it symbolizes a lasting bond between a married couple, others see it as a sign of immortality, others say it is a refuge for the dead- communication with the other world. And others use it as a healing wrap for bruises. Other People also consider it unlucky as they believe ghosts and other spirits live in its bushes.
I believe that humans are quite similar to the frangipani; we come in different shapes and sizes, just as the Frangipani come in different colours. We also serve different purposes; in our parents home we are children, in our houses, we are parents or maybe just adults, to some we are friends, to others colleagues, students, mentors, and just like others believe Frangipanis have spirits and ghosts living in them, we also have our fair share of ghosts in our lives. Frangipanis are very tough flowers; they are able to survive neglect, heat and drought. In fact, they only burn in extreme heat of over 500 degrees. Just like Frangipanis, we too have struggles, rainy days, thunderstorms, hurricanes, earthquakes and a whole lot of other tragedies. And in the same way, the Frangipani overcomes all and still fill the garden with a wonderful perfume, we also soldier on in this journey of life.
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Despite their differences in colour and their struggles, they still bloom and turn towards the sun as soon as it comes up. And I believe when the rays of the sun shines on them, they smile taking in all the light they can, till they can take no more. They grow widely, boisterously and beautifully, despising the fact that we can pluck them off anytime and they will die.
I love the Frangipanis because of what they are on the outside, and what they are on the inside. I love the Frangipanis because I want to be like them; Tough on the inside but with a delicate look that gives me a symbol of grace, wealth and perfection. I want to be able to overcome all the storms in my life and still be able to turn my face towards the sun, basking, shining, cheerful in my pursuits, being useful and leaving all the shadows behind.
I want to be a Frangipani, because being delicate and beautiful, doesn’t mean I am weak or incapable
