SILK FLOSS YOU CALL ME
Look at me – but don’t dare stare!
I am spiky and sharp, yet supple and soft. Round, yet angular – that’s who I am. My body is capacious, my shapes inviting. My dress: informal, colorful and somehow thrilling: a feast for greedy eyes. My leaves: green hands eager to grasp. My hips, my thighs – they have already found their admirers. Above all, my prickly embraces are unforgettable! At heart I am frivolous, moody, and perhaps a little mad. I love to laugh – though a tear may fall from time to time. Most of all, I like to be alone – and yet I take delight in playing with others. I follow my inner voice, my silent mentor. I do my own thing. I am simply myself. Do you understand that? Do you care?
Take care! I don’t dance to your tunes. Children’s cries, honking horns, the throb of basses – yes, I hear them, sometimes even with gratitude.
You are the ones who planted me here in the middle of the city. You are the ones who think me special. You love my bizarre presence in your midst; in your parks. Sometimes I feel like a tiger in a cage. Or like an alien being, displaced and displayed as a trophy. From the outside you stare at me – the gawkers. Yet few dare to come close. Now and then one does – a bold soul, most often a drunken lover. Whoever dares, may climb and reach my silky seed pods. Only he can separate my kernels from their silky flesh. But intimacy has its price. My thorns leave bloody traces – tasty souvenirs of heartfelt moments. And that is why they return: the seekers, the addicted, the lovers of the senses. They know this: at my core I am merciful, soft, and tender.
Some people learn from me. They imitate my manner showing dignity with pride: shields on their arms, swords on their chests, spikes in their faces. Like me, they wear their secrets on the outside. All to defend the sweet, seductive essence within.
Home:
Málaga, Spain (originally from South America)
Tree species:
Ceiba speciosa
Tree family:
Malvaceae
Common Names:
Silk Floss Tree, Floss Silk Tree, Bottle Tree, Chorisia
Motivation:
In the heart of Málaga, close to the harbor, on a small planted traffic island, stands this magnificent specimen of the Silk Floss Tree. She grows in a place where she does not truly belong. Cars pass close by, the air is loud and filled with constant human activity. And still, she radiates a quiet confidence. She seems both self assured and strangely misplaced.