Sweet Recollections
an awdl gywydd
Tea time, just my mom and me…
___memories so sweet and dear,
knowing I was her first choice;
___still her voice is crystal clear.
Some of my favorite hours.
___fresh cut flowers in a vase,
aroma drifting after,
___her bright laughter giving chase.
Drinks poured from a silver pot,
___piping hot, a cup of tea;
made better than the others
___my mother’s best, just for me.
Subtle taste of chamomile
___Love revealed in Earl Grey
My sweet tooth she would appease
___“Two lumps please,” I’d smile and say.
Sweet drinks still can take me back
___Down the track toward yesterday
It’s been years we’ve been apart—
___In my heart, she’ll always stay
Hot Air Balloons
in triolets
We climb into the early morning sky.
As sunlight paints away the grays of night
the day’s rebirth we witness with a sigh.
___We climb into the early morning sky
___and dawn breaks over eastern mountains high,
___exploding in symphonic colored light.
______We climb into the early morning sky
______as sunlight paints away the grays of night.
As sunlight paints away the grays of night
the world below begins to come awake;
adrift above, I’m humbled by the sight.
___As sunlight paints away the grays of night
___the dawn reflects the hope of future bright,
___a chance to start anew, despite mistakes.
______As sunlight paints away the grays of night,
______the world below begins to come awake.
The world below begins to come awake
while sunshine once more banishes the dark.
Who knows what difference today might make?
___The world below begins to come awake
___and dawn’s sweet light, reflected on the lake
___shows all the world that night has left no mark.
______The world below begins to come awake,
______while sunshine once more banishes the dark
While sunshine once more banishes the dark
we climb into the early morning sky–
the home of both the eagle and the lark.
___While sunshine once more banishes the dark,
___the dawn ignites the world with heaven’s spark
___and beauty that oft makes the strong man cry.
______While sunshine once more banishes the dark,
______we climb into the early morning sky.
Morning Flight
in ottava rima
It was a dark and stormy night,
yet dawn has birthed another day.
I sense the morning’s growing light,
then grabbing air—up, up, away—
it’s time to spread my wings in flight!
The world awaits, I will not stay;
___all caution to the wind I’ve thrown.
___I soar the heights, free and alone.
Nothing has ever felt so right!
Upon the breeze I dip and play.
Above the clouds, the sky is bright
while far below, still somewhat gray,
the rainfall stops. Now comes the sight
of sunshine breaking nighttime’s sway.
___As thunder mumbles one last groan,
___the land once more by daytime owned.
Flapping my wings with all my might,
the fields and streams below me lay.
I drift and float, a stringless kite
to ride the currents come what may.
Freedom hard won, I hold it tight
and wait out nighttime storms. You say
___for doubt and fear I must atone?
___Ha! With the dawn, you’ll find I’ve flown.
Dusty Grein is an author, poet and graphics designer from Federal Way, Washington. He currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, where his 15 year old daughter is hard at work securing her college degree while still in high school, and raising him right. When he is not busy writing, he donates a great deal of his time and graphics talent. In honor of his grandson Eddy, lost to SIDS at 13 weeks old, he creates free memorial images for bereaved families, with a special focus on infant and pregnancy loss. His blog, From Grandpa’s Heart… is followed by fans around the world.
Greetings, Dusty Sir.
Loved all the three but ‘Sweet Recollections’ touched me more than the rest. Emotions in it and the way it was told- Spectacular !
Glad to read you after a long time on this website. I remember how I had benefited from your essays especially the one on ‘Villanelles’.
Warm Regards
Satyananda,
Thank you for these kind words. I too think that Sweet Recollections, a poem written about childhood and the essence a taste or a scent can bring to a memory, is one of my personal favorites. The awdl gywydd is a great form for this type of poetry, since the cross linked rhymes reinforce the emotion within each quatrain.