My Lilacs

By Ruth Deem

Poetry Submission to the Makeshift Review’s Writing Contest 2021

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I walk down the road and the smell of lilacs fills the air.

Their blooms scatter the landscape with

purples and pinks and whites.

Their luscious green leaves give way to

delicate clusters of flowers tucked in and yet bursting forth.

The bushes spill out onto the sidewalk, forcing passers-by

to take in their beauty. Their delicious aroma

coerces its way into every corner, from soaps to lotions

to candles to perfumes to treasure packets

carrying the memory of their scent to a room far away.

But the most precious part of the lilacs is

the way they hold in my memory and in my heart.

The way the aroma brings me such joy, the remembrance brings such peace.

Those lilacs are a comfort to me.

They woke me up and calmed me down.

They brought excitement and comfort.

They continued on, in leaves when the flowers left,

and in my heart when I left.

My lilacs, my island, I will see you once again.

Your enchantment draws me ever toward you.