by Zara –
When the breeze blows
kisses
to make me shiver
with delight, and the petals
begin to chime
time stills
beneath the great boughs
of old trees,
holding aloft
singing yellow clouds
- Cassia Fistula, known as Golden Shower,
is the national tree of Thailand, where the
flowers are also used in traditional medicine.
The tree flowers between March and May,
the hottest part of the year and also when
the Thai New Year is celebrated. When in bloom,
they are easily identifiable from a distance in both
bush areas and on urban roadsides, for by the peak
of the season the entire canopy is replete with a
dripping mass of small, five-petalled yellow flower clusters.