My mother, Pearl Sitzler, just before she became a Sterling.DEAR GHOSTS
of those I love,
Why are you all so frail, so fragile
Mama but a brief waft of familiar perfume,
Daddy only a delighted chuckle
heard in the distance?
Allen, beloved brother, you come to me
as a scent of wet lawn
and a cooling drift of sprinkler spray
on a sweltering summer day.
Pooch, could that be you,
that fleeting glimpse of brown
the restless stir in the tall grasses?
Jeannie, I heard your voice at Christmas
soaring above the others
as they sang “Oh, Holy Night”.
I have memories, of course,
books and boxes crammed with snapshots
and old letters.
But memories are not ghosts,
not the sudden sense of presence
however brief.
Dear ghosts, why are you
so frail
so shy
so fragile?
of those I love,
Why are you all so frail, so fragile
Mama but a brief waft of familiar perfume,
Daddy only a delighted chuckle
heard in the distance?
Allen, beloved brother, you come to me
as a scent of wet lawn
and a cooling drift of sprinkler spray
on a sweltering summer day.
Pooch, could that be you,
that fleeting glimpse of brown
the restless stir in the tall grasses?
Jeannie, I heard your voice at Christmas
soaring above the others
as they sang “Oh, Holy Night”.
I have memories, of course,
books and boxes crammed with snapshots
and old letters.
But memories are not ghosts,
not the sudden sense of presence
however brief.
Dear ghosts, why are you
so frail
so shy
so fragile?
36 comments:
oh my, this is just so lovely and moving. All those little reminders are a wonderful way to be 'visited' by the ones we love and have lost.
beautifully written Gran!
You so well captured the experience of truly feeling a dead loved one's presence.
ghosts of people's essences?
Granny that is so moving, I would love to experience those feelings.
Granny this is such a tender piece.Your feelings shone through your words.
Such a beautiful piece.
granny, this is a wonderful way to remember the lost ones. did you really experienced it?
This is lovely Granny, you are so clever.
Why were you in Melbourne?
I loved this Granny.... very moving.
A beautiful, sensitive, reflective poem. I read it several times to let the soft feeling flow over me! Enchanting!
You are so right! Our senses of smell and hearing are so strong! Just beautiful!
That was beautiful. You have a wonderful way of remembering your loved ones.
-Mya
So beautiful. It can be such a comfort to feel them there, but at the same time it makes the loss so much more immediate.
Memories are fragile as time goes on and you wrote a beautiful poem to express that Granny. HUG
our sense of smell is the most evocative of memory, and sometimes those little glances of "something" out the corner of one's eye stir things in us - so many ways to be connected to those we loved in life and still yearn for when they are gone --- very nice verse!!!
this is wonderfully touching! I agree...why don't we hear from those spirits more often? Or maybe they are trying, but we're not listening...?!
I love this.
There have been fleeting moments that have brought me back to another place and time, where I could swear I can smell the scent of loved ones who passed years ago.
I can just see the back of her head disappearing into the crowd. Her white hair shown in the sun.
b
How wonderful is this?! :)
When I read the prompt 'ghosts' I swear I thought of bedsheets with holes in them, I didn't remember how they could be beautiful presences in the world around us, in nature, in our loved ones. Splendid poem!
Perhaps they're shy but that only makes them even more special...?
ummm, said as a gentle purr
lovely poem, full of tender memories and peace with their subtle visits.
Granny,
I love how each of your ghosts manifests itself through different senses and songs. Lovely.
A lovely, heartfelt poem. I love the line, "But memories are not ghosts,
not the sudden sense of presence, however brief." We all have memories of those we have loved and lost; your poem helps me have a renewed appreciation for those memories.
Wow--such tangible details. In those brief sensory details, you've evoked their ghosts for your readers.
Beautiful. Words forming an ethereal lace as surely as the delicate threads you remember.
I'm not saying anything that others havent already said, but I will say it anyway - Granny, this is simply the loveliest tribute I've ever read.
I love the way you used the prompt. I struggled with ghosts, but now I may use your idea to revisit ghosts in the family. I love memory poems. Thanks for the inspiration.
The chance and fleeting glimpses, stirrings, scents in air, wisps in wind on skin such as you’ve described so well, do make the tangible, boxed and albumed memories pale. The chance spiritual encounter makes me vow to be more alert, to look for more, others, like a cat watching a mousehole. But how soon I forget to look, to watch, and how lovely it is to be that kind of surprised :-)
missalister
me again.... I gave you an award on my blog today. your blog is just plain fun to read!
Granny, I love your poem. I sense that my Grandmother is nearby every day. Lovely post!
Karen at Ciderantiques
That was so beautiful and so moving. Sometimes I think we aren't looking, listening, and believing enough. That poem must have come straight from your heart!
Gigi, I really hope you go buy yourself a new camera before the wedding. They are cheap enough these days and YOU ARE WORTH IT!!
xoxo
p.s. our vacation photos are on the blog!
p.p.s. your comment was so cute!
This is wonderfully heart warming. Thank you.
very lovely your writing is always so moving and beautiful.
Thanks for coming by my blog- the picture of the monarch butterfly is one I took myself:) I was very happy that she allowed me to photograph her. be well
our memories is what keeps them alive.... this was beautiful...
Very touching. I feel all these feelings when I think of my Grandpa, Great Aunt and Great-Grandmother. Thank you! :)
The Trunk
Oh, I love this poem as well as the old photograph. Trully wonderful post.
Post a Comment