I am fascinated with the Morning Glory. I cannot remember when my fascination started. I noticed them growing wildly on the fences of my secondary school. I had a vague idea the Morning Glory bloomed in the morning, then closed and shriveled up by noon. That the colour of its flower is purple was not something I took particular notice of. Or its bell shape. Like many around me, because it grows wildly in public places, I took it for a common flower.
When I started my first job in an advertising agency, for a short while, I stayed away from home in a friend’s flat. My friend grew Morning Glory. They were not doing well. I helped out by creating a wire fencing for them to crawl up. They started to do better, then before long, we were greeted each morning with bell-shaped flowers. I remember having breakfast by the balcony and looking out at a view framed by purple flowers. I think it was the start of my special relationship with the Morning Glory and the colour purple.
When I moved into my present house about 7 years ago, I knew exactly what to do with it. It would have the look of the black and white colonial houses but with fittings and furnishing which would reflect who I was and where I came from. I told my contractor, who was also part architect part designer, that I wanted to cover my fence with Morning Glory. He asked, “Where are we going to get the Morning Glory? The special breed with a strong purple, grow in temperate climate. I cannot guarantee they will grow here in Singapore.” I told him I wanted the very common Morning Glory.
We dug their roots from public fences and waited for them to grow and crawl up our fence. To my immense delight, they grew wildly and thrived. The Morning Glory in its pale shade of purple would cover my fence. In no time, they would greet me each morning with a sea of purple flowers. By a certain time in the morning, depending on how strong the sun is, or how heavy the rain is, the flowers will start to wither. Yet by late morning, we can also see the buds of new flowers that will bloom the next morning.
A friend was inspired by the Morning Glory on my fence and wrote a poem. He saw the Morning Glory as ‘Happy Optimists’. I never saw the Morning Glory as such. If anything, I see them as ‘Brave Optimists’. The Morning Glory reminds us how fast our moments of glory can fade. How transient our youth is. ‘Youth has its hour of glory… but too often it’s only a Morning Glory, the flower that fades before the sun is very high.’ I found this sad poem online.
A breath, of fresh air dusts
the fragility of the one
day wonder; Petals, as
a baby’s whisper, rustling
the proud head, of ‘Morning
Glory’, clawing her way,
reaching for the sun, to
drink it’s nectar of life;
Slender and statuesque,
with a carpet of soft
velvet leaves, hugging her stem,
as if supporting, if just
for the day; Sunset approaches,
as she hides her face,
never to see the morrow.
Like many things around us, we can take the beauty of the Morning Glory for granted. To me, the common Morning Glory in Singapore is not common at all. They are our pride and joy, a Singapore beauty. They greet us every morning without fail and colour our mornings with hope and joy. While their blooms last for a short time, each flower faces the sun with courage and determination. They bloom gloriously. As if telling us how blessed we are to have another glorious morning. This is a start of another year. We can see this period as the morning of the year. Each morning, before I drive off to work, I turn to take a look at the Morning Glory. To remind myself to make each day count. To glow and shine as brightly as I can.
