This softly focused flower photo seems to capture the spirit of this flower for me. Soft and beguiling. The balloonflower, named after a balloon because the unopened flower looks like a tiny inflated balloon.
I wrote a poem, kinda clutzy, last summer about this flower.
Flower Balloon
garden plants, tightly closed bud,
blues burst forth, flower as the balloon pops open
hardy
long-lived
dependable
bursting balloons make children cry
and adults scrambling to dry flowing tears
not so in the garden
this flower makes me happy
reminding me of you
hardy
long-lived
dependable
love, too, bursts forth in all its glory.