By Francesca Ean Alexis Tiu (Grade 8 – Jacinto)
Plants are very simple in everyday life, yet they hold a mystery that isn’t easily solved through the plain eye. Each plant carries its own character, own soul, and own quirks that make it stand out.
I grinned at the sight of my mother’s garden, my interest continuing to mount in the colorful sights of the flora that scattered around the small space of land. Right now, each plant just looked exactly the same to me, like the closet of an animated character back in the 2000s. I racked my brain, searching my thoughts to see how any plant could be so special when it was all just leaves, roots, and stems?
My head turned away from the little buds sprouting above the soil, and continued down the path that took me deeper into the garden. Now, the plants lined up as though they were waiting to salute their commander like soldiers, seemed a little more different to me.
Was it the diverse color of the leaves, or the towering verdure that overlooked the other smaller shrubs, or perhaps it was the way each plant had a smile embedded into the veins on each
leaf? I looked down at the plant, crouching down to reach its level, and felt a similar smile form on my lips as I gazed at it. The way the plant bent down, as though to greet me, made me feel like I had made a friend of sorts. Its shy nature, from the way it hid from the sun, made me think that maybe each plant had their own personality just like humans did. It had a humane quality that brought me to the idea that plants aren’t that different from human beings.
It was proven further when I abandoned my new-found friend to another that caught my eye from afar. A sunflower with extravagant petals made of gold, its head held up high, as though it was screaming to be noticed. The way it danced to the music of the wind sent a chuckle to escape my throat. It was perky, and outgoing, and very amusing to me.
I now see that each plant materializes its own charm that makes it different. You can never ask for a similar plant, because even if they are of the same species, they are still distinct from each other. They really aren’t as different as human beings, you just have to look a little further.