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Thursday 13 March 2014

MY MOTHER'S HOUSE


There's someone still in residence
in my Mother's house
with it's comfy cushions
and daffodils in a vase
and it's wardrobes crammed full
of clothes she has never worn.

Someone who resembles my Father
is often there too.
He shares my recurring dream:
the two of us, walking the dogs
beneath lofty pines and copper beeches.
I stop to tell him how much I love him,
but he's gone.
I am frantic.
Then I see his war medals
lying in the mud,
grey and lifeless,
like his ashes.

I rush back to the house.
The windows are open.
The radio is playing
an old fashioned tune,
and the tempting aroma
of rhubarb crumble
permeates the garden.
They are both here, my parents,
in the rose garden
holding hands.

And their love
is pulsing through me too.
I want to sleep forever,
because I know that if I awaken
I will find the house gone
and in it's place
two stark modern dwellings:
cold and soulless...
and I will again be an orphan.

34 comments:

  1. Ms. Ygraine,
    So touching and nicely woven poem. There's so much of message in every piece of your lines. Keep writing more. I am inspired.

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    1. Thank you so much Dumcho...your kind words mean so much to me.
      I love reading your blog too. It is always so interesting.:)

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  2. How my heart ached while I read your lovely poem, Ygraine. I miss my parents so much that I still cry when my thoughts visit the past. Your beautiful words, I am sure, will touch many heartstrings and dampen a few cheeks with "memory tears"...

    Hugs
    xoxoxo

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    1. Oh thank you Jan.
      it is painful to remember those we have lost, isn't it?
      I, too, shed many a tear as I ponder days long gone.
      Oh yes, how it hurts...

      Hugs xxx

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  3. Awwwww, I felt such sadness as I read your words but also joy as I could feel the love you have for your parents and their love for you.
    I miss so many that have gone to a 'heavenly sphere' but I so treasure and cherish their memories.
    Beautiful writing ...

    Sending you hugs dear Ygraine.
    xo

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    1. Oh thank you,Margie!
      It is strange how we often take for granted happy times in our lives, only realizing how important they were when they are gone.
      How I miss that house...almost as much as I miss my parents.
      It was for years my sanctuary.

      Hugs xxx

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  4. That’s from the backyard of memory…who wouldn’t love to spend such evergreen time with our dear ones?

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    1. Very true, Deeps.
      We all have these precious memories of those we have lost at some time in our lives...and how we reminisce!
      Many thanks :)

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  5. whew...lots of feeling in this...my first thoughts are from when my gramma moved out of her house...one i pretty much grew up in...i went back a few years later...it was out of habit...and the door was open so i walked in and yelled out gramma...and about scared this couple to death that lived there...ha....the close on this is so emotive...the feel that you would be an orphan again gives is intense....

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    1. I did that too, Brian!
      Every time I passed that house, I HAD to stop to look and remember. Then one day, it was gone. I sobbed my heart out.
      It felt like a part of me had died and I suppose, in a sense, it had.
      It still creeps into my dreams. Frequently!
      Many thanks :)

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  6. It is not only a touching poem but also one of those powerful pieces that grabs you from the word go. As it happens I've been thinking about houses and those places where we spend most of our childhood and the marks they leave on us. Marks that are both good and bad. Your poem has arrived at the perfect time.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. Oh I am so glad you have found a synchronicity in this piece!
      I know we all share these sentiments in our lives...they are Soul-deep.
      I find a deep comfort in this knowledge...
      Thank you so much :)

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  7. Oh super! Love the closing line - it clinches it perfectly! Amazing write Ygraine:)

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    1. Thank you so much, Rose!
      Your words mean so much...:)

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  8. A warm reminisce that many we orphans share. Yea, the last line clinches it. You've become in part your mother's house.

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    1. I think you're spot-on there, Tug!
      I still feel a deep connection to that house...although it is no longer there.
      Perhaps when it ceased to exist in material form, it's Spirit transferred into my subconscious...*smiles*

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  9. What a beautiful retrospective here...full of emotion and really pulls at the heartstrings. Great job :)

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    1. Thank you so much, Keith.
      I am so happy you liked it...as this was one from the heart! :)

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  10. oh Ygraine to dream so sweetly and awaken in a colder reality, I am with you...in thoughts and sorrow, an orphan....a sadness that is beautiful beyond the obvious, hugs m'dear

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    1. Yes...I do dream often of my parents and the past...perhaps some unfinished business?
      I hadn't thought of myself as an orphan until just the other day...then it hit me.
      My parents were middle aged when I was born, so I lost them at a rather young age. I suppose that is why these memories are so precious...I knew them such a short time.
      Thank you, Lorraine...so much :)

      Hugs xxx

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  11. This so beautifully expressed, how memories play through places now changed. Love the last paragraph… especially “and I will again be an orphan”.

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    1. Isn't it peculiar how places that no longer exist can often play on the mind?
      It's as if they are still there, yet in an alternative reality where they can only be accessed in either dream or thought.
      I really hadn't realized I was an orphan until just the other day - if indeed there is such a person as an adult orphan?!

      Many thanks, Anthony :)

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  12. This is so touching! Hang on to those precious memories! They will forever be with you! No one can take them away! Hugs ;o)

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    1. That is the most comforting thought, Stacy!
      You're right...no one can ever take those memories away...not even time.
      Thank you so much for reminding me:)

      Hugs xxx

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  13. Ygraine, yesterday I try to comment thre times and failed, but I think was a problem with my pone (I was off yesterday)
    Only I want to tell you tell you, this is really beautiful and sad , I love so much my mom and I know she is one of my best friends!
    much love!
    really touching dear!

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    1. I think the problem may have been with Blogger...I keep having problems leaving comments too!
      Oh thank you so much...it means a lot to me that you understand...

      Hugs xxx

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    2. I learned cook with my Mom she cooked wonderful, but now she is tired and prefer others cook to her:)
      Anyway she has 83 so I understand her, xxxx

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    3. Oh how wonderful, Gloria...you are continuing a true family tradition...and you are so talented with all those scrumptious recipes! Thank you so much for sharing them with us. xxx

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  14. Lindo poema sobre la casa de tu madre, un poema lleno de recuerdos, hermoso.

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  15. Many thanks, Boris. I really appreciate that.

    Happy Monday! :)

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  16. Touching poem from beginning to end. Very well written, with all your heart and soul.
    My favourite lines:
    They are both here, my parents,
    in the rose garden
    holding hands.

    You are right: our parents' love is always pulsing through us.
    A tender inspiring poem, dear Ygraine. Thanks for sharing your memories in this tender piece.
    A hug.

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    1. Thank YOU for understanding, dear Dulcina.
      Do you know...the older I become, the more like my father I become. I can see him in my facial expressions, my mannerisms and a whole host of other aspects of my personality. It is quite unnerving sometimes! lol

      Hugs xxx

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  17. Memories of people linger forever. Truly a heart touching poem. :) loved the way you ended it. Almost like a reminder.

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    1. Oh thank you Midnight...I truly appreciate that...from the heart. :)

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I really appreciate hearing your opinions...:)