My mother was thirteen
when she first saw Lilac Time.
How it forged her romantic soul,
and set the mold for the man
of her dreams, who would
take her, shyly, almost silently,
his eyes piercing the core of her!
Through the years she recounted
her hero's words and rehearsed the
girl's spunky coos, while shining hot
wings split the sun and thundered
about over the lushness of the garden
of her memory — where a bunch of lilacs as deliverers from evil
were as heady as any real bouquet.
Raucous laughter amongst comrades,
and war songs sung above the whir
of propellers...she remembered
it all, but mostly she remembered
their strong, quiet love.
My mother was seventy
when she next saw Lilac Time.
I pushed 'Play' (watching her
watching the screen) and she took a
deep breath to calm her romantic soul
as the film began — Then she shyly,
almost silently, whispered to me:
"But...Where's the sound?"
MLydiaM ~ September 2011
I absolutely labored over this first write for dVerse~ Poets Pub
where Silent Films are considered this week.
More about Lilac Time (1928) here.
.
Well, I simply love this poem!! And the photos were a nice accompaniment.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, brilliant, haunting. Well done! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteword veri: scents
Thanks for sharing this poem. It's beautiful! Really makes you feel as tho you are there.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa Ast
www.alyssaast.com
Art speaks to the soul, with or without words. You put a lifetime of feelings into this poem. I like it a lot, from concept to execution. It could be another movie plot, all of its own.
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm glad I checked to see if anyone else had joined in - this is an amazing story you tell so well. Thank you for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeleteThis lovely poem speak to me. My romantic soul was also nurtured by Hollywood and I can no longer hear the sound. A lifetime on one page; my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteLove this, especially the density of the middle, it just pulls you into her world.
ReplyDeleteWell, you certainly know how to bring out the romantic in a Bear.
ReplyDelete"Where's the sound," is just so cute! The sign that all of us are part of history, and change as history passes on.
your labor of love shines through and through! Piercing the core of her, their strong silent love (sigh) and the ending was endearing. Oh, it just made me want to cry and laugh at the same time. Thanks so much for linking this to dverse this weekend.
ReplyDeletewhat i love here is the way you get across how memory cheats - and how we create our own romanticised versions.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of your mom rehearsing all the lines, because her memory filled in the blanks of how great she thought the film was - and then the reality that it was a silent film and imagination had done the rest. Great stuff :)
I think it maybe also underlines how much we expect all of our information on a plate these days - whereas with the silent films maybe you used to have to think for yourself a bit?
mythopolis~ That you loved it made me so happy. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteds~ How about that word veri? :) Thank you for letting me know about it, and for you heart-warming comments.
Alyssa Ast~ I am touched that you felt you were right there. Thank you for your kind comments.
English Rider~ Oh, your comments were so touching to me. Thank you. I sort of see the way that scene played out as being in the moving of my mother's life. :)
chromapoesy.com~ I am so curious about your name and look forward to a visit at your blog. I really appreciate your comments.
Darlene~ That this poem spoke to you touched me beyond words...which is, I guess, the whole point! I never thought how silent films could be reintroduced as an entertainment source for the hearing-impaired. :)
secretfragileskies~ Your comment was so helpful in letting me know you felt how strongly she lived in that world and how vividly she painted it for her daughters. :)
Rob-bear~ Oh my, a romantic bear here, and with such fine comments indeed. It is interesting how we change as history passes on, and oftentimes we may not even be aware of those changes...until something jolts us into that realization. :)
Sheila Moore~ Oh, thank you for your kind comments and support for a newbie at dverse. When I first visited dverse I knew I wanted to be there to learn and to enjoy. It seems a real place to me and I thank you for it.
Pixies~ You got it. exactly. It is as if you had been there with me and my sis through the years hearing about that film, and as if you had been there with me when I got her the VHS copy (I have it still) and we scheduled movie night. It was really one of those great/small moments in a life when she realized that it had been a silent film. She said, "Why, honey, I heard every sound!" and she marveled at exactly what you described: that her memory had filled in all the blanks.
It was a remarkable evening.
It was labor well spent, Lydia. That ending says it all.
ReplyDeleteThat's an amazing piece or writing Lydia! It communicates so much on so many levels about passing youth, love, romance, dreams, endurance, the passage of time, and change... I loved reading this. The middle is so powerful.
ReplyDeleteThank you also for linking me to the fire poem last week. That was so very thoughful !
I love silent films. I have really enjoyed your post. Please prove me wrong, but these photos appear very sexy, despite the apparent modesty.
ReplyDeleteYour labor over this first write for dVerse has borne lovely fruit. The "sound" of lilacs is a delightful image. Well done!
ReplyDeleteDavid
Fireblossom~ I guess it does! Thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteStickup Artist~ Many thanks; your comments were so kind and meant a lot.
Re: those fires...I am hoping for you that the rest of the season will be uneventful.
Olga~ I love them too and this prompt put me into the mood to see one soon. I cannot prove you wrong because I think you are correct! :)
anointedruins~ I am honored by your visit and comments. Thank you!
that was beautiful....
ReplyDeleteBraja~ You made me smile. :) Thanks kindly.
ReplyDelete