Poppies, Poppies, Poppies

1. A Bed of Poppies, Maria Oakey Dewing, 1908
2. Poppies, Stefan Luchian, c. 1910
3. Poppy Field, Guy Rose, 1910
4. Poppies and Daisies in a Blue Vase, Odilon Redon
5. Poppies and Eucalyptus, Benjamin Brown
6. Poppies, Lilies and Blue Flowers, William James Glackens, 1915
7. Poppies, Henri Matisse, c.1919
8. Poppies, Pierre Bonnard, c.1914 - c.1915
9. Poppy Field in a Hollow near Giverny, Claude Monet, 1885
10. Vase with Poppies, Cornflowers, Peonies and Chrysanthemums, Vincent van Gogh, 1886

They walked along listening to the singing of the brightly colored birds and looking at the lovely flowers which now became so thick that the ground was carpeted with them. There were big yellow and white and blue and purple blossoms, besides great clusters of scarlet poppies, which were so brilliant in color they almost dazzled Dorothy's eyes.
"Aren't they beautiful?" the girl asked, as she breathed in the spicy scent of the bright flowers.
"I suppose so," answered the Scarecrow. "When I have brains, I shall probably like them better."
"If I only had a heart, I should love them," added the Tin Woodman.
"I always did like flowers," said the Lion. "They seem so helpless and frail. But there are none in the forest so bright as these." 

- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum

I have always associated poppies with the Wizard of Oz. The first time I heard the word "poppies" was probably when I was a tiny tot watching the MGM film. Despite their sinister role in the story, they've always been among my favorite flowers. Poppies are symbolic of sleep, death, remembrance, but when I see a field of them I think of a flock of red paper valentines waving in the wind.

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