Innocence

On days of childhood past
and long faded into memory,
sisters played beneath a smiling sun
in shadowed rooms of bending willows.
Dainty handkerchiefs swaddled
our Rose of Sharon infants
to keep the newborns warm;
honeysuckle spread sweet fragrance
scenting the summer playhouse
while birds trilled lullabies of joy.
Clover chains hung as garlands
to decorate our home
and snowball bushes' spread
perfumed blossoms carpeting the floors.
Simple pleasures of a simple life
we seem to have discarded
in favor of a busier, artificial plastic world
where flowers bud stale fabric blooms
on bending wires.
The evensong of the whip-poor-will is no more.

I would go back if I could harvest
the pureness of those happy hours,
distilling a rare elixir,
a medicine for our ailing times.

Copyright, November 25, 2014
Faye Lanham Gibson
Copyright © | Year Posted 2014

Poem

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Schneiter Avatar
April 29, 2015 at 7:36 AM
Faye, this eloquent poem awakened memories of my own childhood. You use imagery exceptionally well, and the last stanza speaks for many who remember a more authentic era when flowers were real and children were companions with nature. Thanks for sharing a beautiful composition.
Bateson Avatar
December 2, 2014 at 6:41 AM
I would go back too to play with my sister in a world of beauty and sweet pleasure. Love it..
Johnson-Saunders Avatar
December 1, 2014 at 8:39 AM
Wonderful imagery and message, Faye! Congrats to you!! Hugs, Rhonda
Deschler Avatar
November 30, 2014 at 2:57 PM
Manufactured beauty will never replace natural beauty. I loved the message you send here, Faye... This took me back to a warm summer's day, as a cold winter is just beginning. Congratulations on your win with this lovely write!
Lawless Avatar
November 28, 2014 at 8:23 PM
Congrats on your placement Faye. Sweetly written memory.
Meier-Hans Avatar
November 28, 2014 at 7:18 PM
Dropping back with my congratulations.
Yvonne Avatar
November 28, 2014 at 5:13 PM
This is so good Faye. A Fav for me. Congratulations on your win.
Schumacker Avatar
November 28, 2014 at 4:17 PM
Hi Faye, I am amazed that you did not place higher in this contest. This is a superior poem. I really like the constructed line, "where flowers bud stale fabric blooms on bending wires." There is a genuine intellectual prowess going on in this creation. You have a strong facility for language. Very strong poem. Very well delivered. Good for you. Keep up the good work. Earl
Carmack Avatar
November 28, 2014 at 1:04 PM
Congrats on your win. This was a tough contest to judge from what I have been reading.
Allison Avatar
November 28, 2014 at 11:39 AM
absolutely wonderful imagery Faye this is so so beautiful - many congrats:-) hugs Jan xx
Meier-Hans Avatar
November 25, 2014 at 2:44 PM
Heart of my heart brings back sweet memories. Beautifully penned Faye.
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