Category: Memories

A Cold December Night and the Rain

A Cold December Night and the Rain

A cold December night and the rain
pummels the rooftops,
drops colorless pearls
on the kitchen window
my reflection
cloudy on the wet glass,
as icicle fingertips put away
pots and pans where they belong
hidden
until tomorrow’s bidding —

Long ago on a cold December night like this
while the rain pummeled the rooftops,
a porcelain cup broke gently,
delicate Saxon flowers
shattered on the floor
as I knelt to collect the broken pieces,
soft footsteps walked towards the door
and in an eternal moment
the door closed
slowly
like an ebbing tide —

A cold December night and the rain
pummels my heart
and once again
the rain brings me back to a place
of scattered Saxon flowers,
a broken porcelain cup
that once was whole.

D. G. Vachal © 2025

Image by AnNeef @ Pixabay

A Summer Remembrance

A Summer Remembrance

at the end of daytime fever
I hear the thunder
rumbling in the distance
a forgotten song from long ago —

is it you, my lost love,
your beloved voice
resonant
in the clouds,
a lament of lavender longing
and the firefly lightnings —

did you come to let me know
infinitely far from the miles of sky
that you remember my smile,
and how life would have been
filled with flowers
if we walked hand in hand
in the summer rain,
just you and I  —

now comes the twilight,
the rumbling thunder fades
into a sigh
and I walk in my garden
alone
with this poignant longing
of holding your hand.

D. G. Vachal (c) 2025

Image by Geronimo Giquea @Unsplash

Twilight


Twilight

Miles have I traveled this dusty road,
my feet throb from the journey’s pain   
as miniscule pebbles gather in my shoes,
and slowing down I think upon you
these ardent summer moments —

Will I ever find you again
if I retrace my steps,
remember the words I uttered
when you were by my side —

I only know that if I turn back,
the feeble light will fade
and soon
the darkness will engulf me.

I keep on walking,
closer, closer towards the golden sky  
that sings a sentimental melody
and for a fleeting moment I close my eyes —

I see your smile
then I know
you are beside me still.

D. G. Vachal © 2025

Image by J Plenio @ pixabay

Momentary Blooms

Momentary Blooms

Are there memories
senseless
to logical sentiments,
written off as never-
happenstance hypotheses
by mountain goat-bearded
wise sages —

why then
do rainbow whirlwinds
hover over peripheries
of my befuddled mind,
radiate
in the recessive
penumbra
of my tranquil heart —

thoughts of loves
long forgotten
momentarily bloom
like purple
crocus petals
on the frigid soil
of weather-beaten
March gardens —

why then
do they disappear
in April.

D. G. Vachal © 2025

Image by Couleur @Pixabay

My Father and the Jasmine Flowers

My Father and the Jasmine Flowers

street waifs
stringing white flowers
into long, fragrant necklaces,
plucked them from the sky
shook them from the tall green bushes
until they fell like rain upon the grass —-
 
jasmine necklaces sold
for devout señoras to wear
at Flores de Mayo processions
five centavos for all that work,
three
if señoras haggled long enough —-

were you one of the little ones
hands baked by the sun,
wide-eyed,
barefoot,
hungry?

how time comes and leaves
so swiftly
as in half a breath,
as in a hurried dream,
and for whatever
reason there may have been
I came to be —-

older folks would tell me
you walked miles to school,
no centavos for a ride,
and your classmates laughed and sneered
as they rode the bus and passed you by,
you walked on
carrying your dreams 
in your heart.

how time comes and leaves
so swiftly
as in half a breath,
as in a hurried dream,
and you are gone —-

tonight
as I recall the tales of folks
from long ago
I drench my pillow
with the fragrant tears
of white jasmine flowers
through the midnight hours,
into the break of dawn.

D. G. Vachal © 2024

Image by Oom Endro @ Pixabay