Criniums

Criniums are blooming about town. Throughout the year, these odd Sri Lanka imports have huge clumps of ligulate leaves above the ground, supplying humongous bulbs beneath the surface with nourishment. Then, in a spectacular burst of white trumpets they bloom.

Criniums seem to last forever, surviving beneath the surface of the ground long after the gardener who planted them is gone; long after the house they once ornamented has fallen into disrepair , condemnation, and been torn down. Criniums are used in herbal medicine to treat prostate ailments and uterine fibroids. When I see the criniums bloom, it reminds me that the residual effects of our actions last longer than ourselves.