Satin and Old Lace

Bent fingers trace embroidered leaves
on satin and long lacy sleeves.
Blush roses, twenty-six she counts--
A French word she can't now pronounce.

She blows dust from old envelopes
tied with blue ribbons and her hopes.
The letters penned by her true mate.
Over his name, she... hesitates.

A trunk in attic soon became
her refuge from days all the same.
Photos dwelling midst her daydreams,
and keepsakes of sweet seventeen.

She thought he'd walk up Dusty Lane;
he might appear, along with rain
and wash away her endless tears;
bring summer nights and happy years.

A wedding date that came and passed;
memories cut like broken glass.
A heartache like the roaring wind,
returning nightly without end.

She lived alone among the ghosts
of dances, laughter, champagne toasts.
Altho eccentric, she was bright;
looked forward to impending night.

Aunt Agnes passed at ninety-three;
still wore her ring for all to see.
Memories left for wind to tend;
they have beginnings but no end.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2021

Poem

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Watt Avatar
March 5, 2022 at 11:12 AM
Ann, I really enjoyed reading this melancholy tribute to your great Aunt... the song Eleanor Rigby came to mind, with all the lonely people whose stories are never told. So many beautiful lines in this: "tied with blue ribbons and her hopes", and "alone among the ghosts of dances, laughter, champagne toasts", are splendid, but I think my favorite is "Memories left for wind to tend; they have beginnings but no end." Lovely poetry, going in my faves ~ John
Peck Avatar
March 18, 2022 at 4:32 PM
Thank you so much, John, for your lovely comments. I hadn't remembered Eleanor Rigby till you mentioned it--one of their many great songs. Aunt Agnes actually lived to 106, but it didn't fit :) Thank you for faving it! I think she would thank you, too. :)
Peckham Avatar
August 20, 2021 at 11:00 AM
This is such a lovely tribute to your aunt, that you really "saw" her and understood her pain. It is so true of us also when we grow older. Although one cannot live in the past, it is still very meaningful, and we treasure those memories.
Peck Avatar
August 21, 2021 at 5:03 PM
Thank you for reading this, Barbara. I've been dwelling in the past myself since the present became so difficult to understand. The past I remember was easier. Take care.
Rone Avatar
June 16, 2021 at 11:24 AM
Blessing on your Aunt Agnes and yourself - Ken
Peck Avatar
June 16, 2021 at 12:45 PM
Thanks, Ken.
Radice Avatar
June 16, 2021 at 9:52 AM
Ann, this is superb. Sad. Real. Superb. So many human stories never told. Great cadence. I read it a few times. Your words pulled me in. Cheers - Gary.
Peck Avatar
June 16, 2021 at 12:44 PM
Thank you, Gary. Yes, a sad story, but I think many women didn't marry another if scorned or her lover died in war.
Pandit Avatar
June 7, 2021 at 9:02 AM
A powerful, emotive write, Ann. Your story tugs the heart. So well written!
Peck Avatar
June 11, 2021 at 8:18 AM
Thank you so much, Vijay! Yes, a very sad, true story.
Faulkner Avatar
June 3, 2021 at 11:14 AM
The sadness of all those times lost, very heart breaking~
Peck Avatar
June 11, 2021 at 8:17 AM
Yes. I think it may have been the thing a woman did in early nineteen hundreds, as there seemed to be so many elderly maidens.
Rodrigues Avatar
June 1, 2021 at 11:24 AM
A lovely bittersweet treat of a write!
Peck Avatar
June 2, 2021 at 3:39 PM
Thank you, Kim. :)
Parker Avatar
May 29, 2021 at 9:37 AM
what a touching story of love that lasted through life carrying the burden of pain
Peck Avatar
June 1, 2021 at 10:00 AM
Yes, he was killed in war and she never married.
Sangster - K Avatar
May 28, 2021 at 12:26 PM
This one touched my heart. Beautifully written Ann.
Peck Avatar
May 28, 2021 at 1:12 PM
Thank you, Anne! So good to hear from you! I'm so glad you felt the emotion. She was my great aunt.
Ball Avatar
May 26, 2021 at 10:59 AM
This is such a sad and lonely piece depicting one who waited her whole life for here true love to return to her and make her his wife. Perhaps something happened and he was killed in action or something. And she never loved another. Beautifully written with great emotion. God Bless, JB
Peck Avatar
May 28, 2021 at 1:16 PM
Thank you, Judy. She was my great aunt and her true love was killed in WW1, and, you're right. She never married. So sad. '
Leffanta Avatar
May 25, 2021 at 12:48 PM
Historians seldom capture the social pressures that influenced how people lived their lives; an outline is not history! You did a great job here! Aloha! Rico
Peck Avatar
May 25, 2021 at 1:46 PM
Thanks, Rico! Oh, most history books are a joke. And you're right, a brief outline is all they offer. Aloha!
Clear Avatar
May 25, 2021 at 7:57 AM
oh, what memories you brought into the light, sweet Anne......wish i could talk to her...seemed like i could..your ideas and thoughts are amazing.
Peck Avatar
May 25, 2021 at 8:06 AM
Thanks. Suzanne, for your lovely thoughts. Visiting her was like turning pages back to 1918.
Cunningham Avatar
May 25, 2021 at 12:47 AM
I could just imagine the scene of the old dear reflecting and hoping, but sadly it didnt turn out how she had dreamt it to be. Well written Ann Tom
Peck Avatar
May 25, 2021 at 8:04 AM
Thanks, Tom. She was actually my Great Aunt Agnes, living in a stately old house, with old memories, even still driving her old Ford.
Get a Premium Membership
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace