Come middle of April and there will be a sweet scent in the air. A slight kiss of raindrops and the yellow Padauk blossoms will bloom. The delicate yellow petals amongst the emerald green leaves scent the air with their sweet smells and fall to the ground with every nudge of the breeze. And they also herald the coming of the Myanmar New Year. A time to wash away the misfortunes of the old days with Padauk-scented water and welcome in the New Year, fresh and revitalized.
And that is the moment that is always etched in my memory.
Padauk blossoms will unfold their petals only during this time of the year. They flower early in the morn but are gone with the evening sun. And what makes a young damsel smile but a bunch of Padauk blossoms brought to her by her Romeo.
My life is also connected with these delicate petals of Padauk blossoms. A big Padauk tree stands in front of my wife's house. It had been there before we got married and every year, since we got married 36 years ago,when the big tree burst into flowers I had taken some flowers to put in her hairs. A personal gift from me to my angel.
Now I am near my sunset years and far away from my hometown, living in a foreign land. And every year when April comes around , I still long to see the Padauk blossoms adorn my love's head.
But there are no Padauk Blossoms in the land they call "Down Under". And we pray for the day when we can go back and sit again under our own Padauk tree and look up at the twinkling stars in the sky, always together, forever.
Photos: Myanmar Polestar T&T
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