Brooke, I am so glad you love lilacs too and that you connected with this poem. The smells of spring have seemed especially strong this year, and every time I step outside, I have to go hunting for which tree or which flower is perfuming the air. Amazing how we are wired for scents to bring back those memories. Thank you for reading and responding.
Smell has always been such a pleasant and surefire trigger of memories for me. This makes me think of my grandparents’ house, breathing in the mix of forest and gravel. There’s nothing like it :)
Yes! Smell is such a powerful way to access those memories… Forest and gravel: I am instantly transported to my parents’ cabin in MN. I love that pairing. Thank you for sharing your reflection.
This is beautiful! I love the memory you have with your grandma and her lilacs. I adore the smell of lilacs!
Brooke, I am so glad you love lilacs too and that you connected with this poem. The smells of spring have seemed especially strong this year, and every time I step outside, I have to go hunting for which tree or which flower is perfuming the air. Amazing how we are wired for scents to bring back those memories. Thank you for reading and responding.
"A cross between a tree and a fort and a playhouse,"
"My cousins and sisters and I wore small paths
through the lilac bush like mice.
We played until the center hollowed out a room.
As a child, this felt like an accomplishment."
We had bushes we played in that were like that. I no longer remember what kind of bushes they were, but I remember the feeling of being in that space.
Thank you for sharing how the lines resonated with your own memories, Melanie. I always love hearing which lines stand out to readers and why.
Smell has always been such a pleasant and surefire trigger of memories for me. This makes me think of my grandparents’ house, breathing in the mix of forest and gravel. There’s nothing like it :)
Yes! Smell is such a powerful way to access those memories… Forest and gravel: I am instantly transported to my parents’ cabin in MN. I love that pairing. Thank you for sharing your reflection.