I Belong in the Trees: Reflections of a Grocery-Store Orchid

For the second year in a row, my moth orchid is ready to bloom. The buds are plumping up and, just like last year, the flowers will provide a much-needed splash of colour through the never-ending month of February.

Plump orchid buds will be blooming any day

This is quite the achievement for an orchid purchased in a grocery store. Many people will pick one up already in full bloom, enjoy the long-lasting flowers, and then unceremoniously dump the plant when the flowers have faded. Confession: I have been guilty of this myself, but I am working hard to change my ways.

Moth orchid in full bloom (February 2021)

The ease with which some see these plants as disposable got me thinking about orchids. Do they long for their natural habitat? Are they aware of where they come from; of what might have been for them? It made me wonder whether orchids wish they could be more than they are. These plants are often described as exotic and elegant. Are they truly that if they are limited by their circumstances—in this case, their existence on a grocery-store shelf? All of these thoughts resulted in the following poem.

I Belong in the Trees: Reflections of a Grocery-Store Orchid

I belong in the trees

                               stretching

searching for the sun

through dappled light

                               breathing

absorbing the lush heat

of my tropical genesis

                               climbing

ascending on branches

that anchor me to the rainforest

                               clasping

laying hold of surrendered origins

long abandoned to a clear plastic pot

I belong in the trees

                              bending

bridging the distance

between reality and my imagination

I am looking forward to many weeks of colourful blooms from my grocery-store orchid.

Happy Gardening!