Among the Jasmine Blossoms
a key opens
my father’s filing cabinet
locked
for so long —
the second drawer
overflows with my letters:
stamped envelopes
squiggly pen strokes
from when I was a child,
a teenager,
a young woman,
a mother —
every letter quietly kept
as a jewel
when they came to him
from far away —
now that I am near
I hear his laughter
while I walk in the garden
among the jasmine blossoms.
D. G. Vachal ©2026
Image Attribution: Mokkie, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
lilies, sparrows and grass 
A wonderful story within a poem — memories and letters somehow equate sweetly with the bloom of jasmine—I have a spring flowering jasmine here in Canada and hoping it blooms again. 🤍💌🍃
Thank you so much, Susan! Yes, the bloom of jasmine and the fragrance truly bring back sweet memories. How wonderful to know that you have a spring flowering jasmine in Canada! I hope it greets you with lovely white blossoms after the winter.
A very touching treasure troft of memories, Dee. Beautifully written, as always.
Thank you so much, Ellen! There are times when my heart overflows with nostalgic words when I think about my father.
That shows in the poem. Very touching and melancholy.
Touching poem and the scent of blooming Jasmine is heavenly.
“kept / as a jewel” 💖
Thank you so much, Michele! Yes, the scent of blooming jasmine is heavenly!
Such a beautiful poem! I had a similar experience which I recall and cherish.
Thank you so much, Shelley! I am so glad that through this poem, we share a similar experience, indeed to recall and cherish across time.