Poetry-When the Lilac Blooms

Lilac-fragrant grassy expanse,
The long and curving driveway to your house,
In my dreams the only place of safety
That in waking life I can no longer go.

Bricks and mortar in my blood
So much so I can enter without knocking
And at my heels, I bring chaos
The chains of worry that drag behind me.

Oh! The demons I drag into your tranquil repose!
As if to fight them in that lanquid space
Will render me victorious more readily
Than in the dark alleys of my psyche.

Even though you are no longer there
Except to lovingly haunt the walls,
I still go there in my mind's travels
Hoping just once you will answer the door.

The one place I felt always welcome,
Always adequate, always dear
Even in tatters, even in tears
Soft and weathered hands to bless me.

I could never live in your house again
But a part of me will always linger
Over the scent of old books and cedar
And when the lilac blooms I'll think of you.

(c) Stacie Ferrante
2-24-09