For me poppies represent the fragility of beauty that comes and goes quickly. When they are out in full bloom you must take the time to "stop and smell the roses" as they don't last long.  I love the light that reflect through them it is stunning.

Poppies have long been used as a symbol of sleep, peace, and death: Sleep because the opium extracted from them is a sedative, and death because of the common blood-red colour of the red poppy in particular. In Greek and Roman myths, poppies were used as offerings to the dead.  Poppies used as emblems on tombstones symbolize eternal sleep. This symbolism was evoked in the children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which a magical poppy field threatened to make the Dorothy sleep forever.  A second interpretation of poppies in Classical mythology is that the bright scarlet colour signifies a promise of resurrection after death.