Lovely poppies

It is well known that poppies have long been used as a symbol of sleep and death. It may be obvious because of the opium extracted from them; and the blood-red color of the petals.
But I'm wondering how does this delicate and soft small flower could inherit only negative meaning? If you saw a wheat field full of poppies, you would enjoy the scenery, wouldn't you? But would you immediately recall about the sad symbols of these flowers?
I had done a small research about it, and I've found that poppies are also the flowers of youth and beauty in Slav's culture. Slavs young girls used to plait fresh red poppies in their hair at the wedding ceremony. Also, in Greek mythology, poppies are the sign of fertility in the wheat fields. So, poppies aren't so negative as it was supposed. They are peaceful, and their red color is so vivacious, full of beauty and love.
Finally, I can't imagine a Moldavian mid-summer landscape without red strokes of poppies.

Pastel with watercolor underpainting on paper, 21cmx29cm