Theme: Prejudice

The garden of many colors

Juca was the gardener who took care of a square garden. At the time of the planting of the flowers, he prepared the land, divided flower beds, and sowed the seeds.

There were many flower beds, and in each of them Juca planted one kind of flower. When the seeds sprouted, each flower bed had one color. Red for roses, white for daisies, yellow for sunflowers, blue for hydrangeas and purple for petunias.

The flowers were all beautiful, but each flower bed despised the other just because they were different.

The flowers looked at each other and commonly said to their companions:

- How boring!

- It has no perfume!

- Too pale!

- Fancy and displayed!

When the flowers were well grown and blooming, the little animals began to visit them, attracted by their colors, perfume and the pollen they produced.

Many bees, ladybugs, butterflies and hummingbirds landed from flower to flower. With that, the pollen was being carried everywhere. And one day a petunia was born in the daisy bed.

The purple of the new flower among the white of the others called attention, and she began to be mistreated by her companions. At the other flower bed the petunias were sad to see daisies doing so.

But soon a daisy was also born in the petunia bed, and the situation was reversed. The whole daisy bed was sorry to hear the white flower being mistreated by the purple flowers.

Over time, so did the other beds. Roses were born among the sunflowers, sunflowers among the hydrangeas, and so on. The flower beds became all mixed with all kinds of flowers.

When Juca saw what was happening, he thought of replanting the flowers, so that each flowerbed would have only one color again.

But then he changed his mind. He decided to let them grow mixed, because even if he separated the flowers, the pollen would spread again.

Juca noticed that the flower beds were also beautiful, very varied and colorful.

The flowers were very strange at first. But as there was no other way, they had to live closely with each other.

Over time, they began to see that the differences were not so bad. On the contrary, living together they could see how much new and interesting things the other flowers had.

They learned that there are many ways to be beautiful. There are many types of perfumes, many colors and many opportunities to make friends and be happy.

Gradually, the flowers became friends and began to treat each other well. They often complimented each other like this:

- How beautiful your color, I am never tired of admiring it!

- Thanks! You are also beautiful, besides being kind! I love to live here by your side!

- What a delicious perfume! I have no perfume, but I'm lucky to be by your side to feel yours!

- And I'm lucky to see you, so wonderful, very close to me!

The differences of each became respected and even admired. All the animals that visited this square saw that the flower beds now had many colors and, most importantly, a lot of happiness.

Text adapted from the book “From All Colors” by Nye Ribeiro.
 

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com