Budding Lilacs Poem by Edmund V. Strolis
Budding Lilacs
He did not see me beyond the Lilacs
I wondered how he got there
Who had led him to this place
Seated on that old chair
A cushion for his weathered body
Nowhere to be, no schedule
Just the ritual of medicine
The dressing, the morning meal
What an eternity it must have seemed
Waiting for the warmth of spring
He had survived for one more year
His aches and pains now forgotten
The determination of this man
With trembling hands extended
Seizing the fence he made his stand
There was glory in that moment
Mixed with a sadness in my heart
Budding lilacs in early April
Warm my soul to this very day
Love and spring will find a way
Heart warming poem, with the touching image of the old frail man in the late autumn of his life enjoying the wonders of spring. A pure joy to read!
I came to this title wincing a little- - -Knowing you I should have assumed you'd do something special with it but it is spring and we are all out there planting poetic flowers in our gardens so I feared it might be another tweet sweet ode to the season of spring.flowers....Wellllll, what was I thinking! ! ! ! ! I should never ever doubt you! ! ! ! You do not turn out the typical or the usual. Your poetry is the unusual, the atypical, the original, the has-something-to-say poetry. And yes, indeed, this is one of your usual greats for which I thank you so much. I will be seeing that old man in my garden now, having made it through the cold harsh winter of old age once again.He had survived for one more year His aches and pains now forgotten The determination of this man With trembling hands extended Seizing the fence he made his stand- - - - - - - - - - - - - -You have a way of touching our lives with the poetic stories you write about people and, probably like many who are reading this, it brings to mind my beautiful father in the last years of his life, in his case crumbling slowly under the onset of Alzheimer... but he was fortunate, he still tagged into himself probably 40% of the time for a wee while. Thank you for writing this- I am putting it in my fav list so I can read this over and over! Beautiful, stunning, heart-touching piece of writing, Edmund
First and foremost to read of your beautiful father I could not help but be moved. Tagging into himself 40% of the time. Everything seems to stop when thinking of the ones we love. With time their importance increases to a degree only measured by the heart. If only we were cold hearted and indifferent we could tolerate the bittersweet chapters of existence so much more. But the truth is our capacity to feel is limitless and with joy must come pain. All the more reason to be good to ourselves so as to be there and good for others. Zuza I will tell you something that you already know and that is that there is no greater role or purpose than to be there at the time that someone needs you but this same giving must not weigh you down so I am a true believer that there are times with certain people that you can; t always help. I have learned not to let regret or guilt to take up too much energy.Susan I am so touched by your comments. How could I not be?
This is sooooo beautiful. So heart-touching. Pain n joy mingled so beautifully. The spring comes to mend the broken pieces of ourselves. The illness, the aging, the slow crumbling of ourselves makes life such a burden but yet there's always hope of color n warmth in the shape of spring. A10
Yes Nosheen, I wonder at the beauty of things. I see something just as you do and it touches me. I also have markers in life. Points in which I celebrate the newness as I age. Points to begin again, To assess oneself and take stock of our lives. Spring is a memory so deeply rooted in memory and unlike so much that can't be felt spring can. Sometimes my thoughts will wander to the feet of a person speaking as I spy their cat peeking around the corner or the tiniest of flowers pale blue poking through the grass. How dull it would be to have tunnel vision and to not see such things! Nosheen you must always be happy to have such a gift. Your eyes see as others do not. Your words linger long after the actual reading is done.
I felt this poem deep in my bones Edmund What an eternity it must have seemed Waiting for the warmth of spring We all know this feeling so well when the long cold winter seems endless. The old man is revived by the warmth, light and new life of Spring. And yet we feel a sadness As George Harrison sings All things must pass away Life is fleeting, all it glories pass away. The last line ends on a hopeful note And yet love and spring will find away We all want to believe there is some eternal spring in us that will never die Though ashes meet ashes and falls into dust.
Thank you for mentioning the George Harrison song Norah. In which he reminds us that those things we enjoy or embrace will indeed pass away and yet as you very well know the message is not meant to be a negative message but instead offers an observation right out of Norah Tunney 101 and that is to be in the moment. As Harrison sings however the darkness too will also be followed by light. Now the darkness only stays at night time In the morning it will fade away Daylight is good At arriving at the right time But it's not always going To be this grey So we find in some backyard beyond the rush of traffic and our preoccupation with ourselves a man with his life behind him like a kite's tail lost to a busy world of indifference, stuck in a monotony of maintenance and long hours of waiting out the winter at last through the kindness of some unknown caretaker he is allowed to move his shuffling body to some grassy place to enjoy the sunlight and the busy birds and southern breeze. A release and an awakening of spirit. A man that may not see another spring finds the strength to stand and stand like a captain of his ship of dreams and look at the world. New spring and an aged man both sharing this thing called life. To which I say if you hold a door open for someone and extend an act of kindness this may be the high point of a strangers' day or week. We may be a spring-like awareness and exhilaration at just the right time in any season. Thanks Norah T.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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5/5/2024 12:07:12 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Even in the sad moments of life there are things in Nature to lift our hearts to joy! For the aged and invalid, welcoming one more spring into their lives is a boon they might not have anticipated! Seeing the spring blossoms and the vernal life and color move them to joy and help them forget the infirmities of old age ! A beautiful poem suffusing the spirit with a rare elation!