Lilac Dreams

Child of my youth

Spirit us to lilac dreams

Impressive, house of a bush

Massive aroma stirs

thick as cheesecake

Delicate lavender petals

Bursting from swollen bouquets

Impetuously carpet the earth

Icon of my childhood

The lilacs blossomed there.

Locomotives roar past on rails

billowing smoke, pulling clattering tails

Contemplate, thundering echo

Ponder the mournful wail

Study it on the horizon

as it melts in ascending heat

To the rumbling of the boxcars

The lilac bush swayed there.

Where declining barn resides

seek tranquil repose

Rust, and aging timber

issue musty bouquet

Ghosts of horses past

meander my imagination

dance among my dreams

Along with my young psyche

The lilacs flourished there.

Black raspberry brambles

fortress of thorns

beckons with sticky sweet fragrance

then injures us for the invasion

Young harvest is tart

Patience, for perfection

Luscious preserves, sweet berry pie

Grandma's backyard haven

The giant lilac grows.

House at rainbow’s end

exudes a bakery essence

Butter-painted pancakes

Silver dollar size

Golden scent caress my nose

Strawberry pool tickle my tongue

Showering from vases

The lilacs decorate there.

We idle away our youth

in the space above the stair

Musical wooden floor

accompanies our games

but being splintered, stings us

and sends wet faces flying

down to Grandma's arms

Her loving, crinkled hands

relieve the pain and tears

Within her heart

The lilacs dance.

Her house teams with laughter

and the poignant lilac smell

She teaches me to color, sew and bake

select the blossoms fine

Takes me onto luxurious lap

And well a story winds

Pot of gold, this domicile

Is where the lilacs dwell.

Fairness of the flowers

Color of the love

Rich symphonic scent

Everlasting in my soul

For in my spirit, heart and mind

Is where the lilacs thrive.

© 1995