By: Lepan The flowers of the Birds of Paradise threw crimson in the air like spiked rays of the sun. But they were no match with the spirited wind, swaying them like frozen birds in flight. Their leaves flapped in tatters, their stems bent like broken poles. Photo by Joel Aliping The other Birds of Paradise stood proud despite getting stripped, their colors ablaze under the sun. They knew for sure, the gardener would take care of what was left of them. Poking underneath the Birds of Paradise, I found flowers, so pale and fragile. They looked haggard, but unlike the Birds of Paradise who stood secure, they struggled to keep planted on the ground. They are the Ghost Flowers, thriving on decay, growing obscure on dense fungi, with no leaves and color; but they have their own story to tell. Unlike the other flowers, they were not cultivated by the gardener. They grew on their own, and they could be uprooted anytime. They crept out of th...