I Remember…
The time of our love
Together
Luxuriant
Full as the scent
Of honeysuckle abundantly grew
In the woodlands behind our home
Its perfume
Saturating
The breeze of early summer
Each molecule
Glazed with nectar
The sweetness, I deeply inhale
As I rounded the path
Leading home
You waiting there
I will the fragrance
To linger
Reluctant to exhale,
Open the French doors wide
Inviting the scent inside
Sweetens our home
S bloom of early June
By the rise of the Dog Star, un-blossoming
Languishing in the heat, the humidity of July
The French doors fastened tight
Air conditioning cools the rooms
There are other scents now:
Candle tapers, jasmine-anointed,
Lavender sachets, sandalwood incense cones
Orange and lemon pomander balls
Studded with bay leaves and cloves
Next to the patio, we plant a garden
Drought-hardy petunias, snapdragons, marigolds
Florals need replanting each season
Hauled in crates from the nursery
Transplanted in the morning when the dew is fresh
The heat we can still bear
Purple, pink, yellow flowers in symmetry of rows
I pause from my labors, lean on the hoe,
Wipe the dirt from my fingers
Contemplate the woodlands
Beyond the fence, the intricate tangle of vines
Vacant of leafage in spaces
Due to heat and want of rain
The aroma now diminished
Honeysuckle vines sprawl untamed
Wistfully, I remember June
Trying to recapture the scent
I reside now in a third floor condo,
Decked with a terrace, cedar wood-planked,
Level with the tree line, projecting to the sky
Flowers kept in container pots
Lack of space dictates the choice
Geraniums and Coleus in terra-cotta urns
The grounds of the development, landscaping precise
Thoughtfully planned, lawns well-kept
Hedgerows trimmed, bushes carefully pruned
I plant my gardens alone now
You abide in a place forever in bloom
In the summertime, in the month of June,
I open the French doors wide
Sit erect in a stiff backed Adrondidack chair
Eyes closed, summoning the memory of the scent
The rambling honeysuckle vines