畑の隅や道の脇にコスモスが揺れています。最初に目に入ってきたのは淡いピンクと白の集団。しばらく行くとこちらはもう盛りを過ぎたのか濃いピンクの花が緑を背景にまばらに咲いています。同じ時期、まっすぐな茎の上に鮮やかに輝く曼珠沙華が田んぼの脇に並んで存在感を出していますが、コスモスはまるで違った世界です。花びらは透けて見えるほど薄く、長細い華奢な茎の先にふわっと開いている花。３０を過ぎたばかりの若さで亡くなった下の兄がいつか「コスモスは花とその名前がよく合ってる」と言ったことがあります。どの花が好きだったのか聞いたこともないけど、以来、コスモスは兄の花と決めています。ひょうきんで大らかで家族のみんなに好かれていた兄。五人兄妹の下二人の私たちは子供の時は毎日喧嘩、大人になってからは妹思いの頼りになるお兄さんで大好きでした。優しい兄は先に逝った母のそばに兄妹の誰よりも早く行ってあげたのだと思っています。Flowers of Cosmos are blooming in the corners of vegetable gardens or on the sides of the small roads. When I was walking, first, I saw a group of pale pink and white cosmos and second, I saw dark pink cosmos blooming sparsely probably after their peak. In this season, we see red spider lilies shining which have long straight starks and they are lining up at the side of rice paddies to show off their presence. On the other hand, cosmos is in a totally different world. It has thin petals and the flower opens softly on top of thin stalks. My brother who passed away when he was just over 30 once said to me that cosmos is a name that is fitting both for the flower and the atmosphere. I haven't asked him what his favorite flower was, but since then, I think of him whenever I see cosmos. He was funny, generous and loved by every family member. He and I are the youngest two siblings of five brothers and sister. In our childhood, we were fighting every day, and after we grew up, he was reliable and generous to me and I loved him very much. I think because he was such a generous character, he went to join my mother who had passed away, earlier than all of us other siblings.
