Sylvia

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Sylvia

took us unaware
with her violet eyes and rainbow hair,

was she human or sprite—perhaps
a spirit of the light,

or the embodiment of flowers
of all seasons, of all hours.

Once, I saw her twice in a blue moon,
twice, I saw her floating 
				n
			        o
			   o
			l
		      l
		a
	       b

 	a 

like 

her laughter drifted down from the sky,
lighting it, like a star somehow--yet how and why?

Consider the source—the whispers and sighs
of flowers, of poets, the artist’s eyes.




I’m hosting dVerse tonight. There is some much awfulness and horror in the world, so I decided on a bit of whimsy. For my prompt, I've asked poets to use one or more of the garden rose names I have selected in their poems.  I chose Sylvia and Twice in a Blue Moon. My mom’s name was Sylvia. She did not have violet eyes or rainbow hair. She did have an unforgettable laugh. And she was an artist who often painted flowers.

66 thoughts on “Sylvia”

  11. I love this tribute to your mother. My youngest spent a few years demanding to know why we had not named her Sylvia because it was such a beautiful name. I’m not sure where she encountered it…perhaps some vibrations from your mother’s laugh. (K)

  13. The song Sylvia’s Mother also popped right into my head when I saw the rose name Sylvia! It’s a cool prompt with so many possibilities! Love how you incorporated the floating balloon.

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  18. Beautiful, Merril!
    I felt and saw a brilliant balloon.
    Although I’ve never seen your mother’s eyes, her paintings show me what she saw through her eyes. Now I know where you get your poet’s eyes from.

  20. Merril, those are such pretty flowers your mom painted. Mine wasn’t artistic, later I found a stickman drawing she had made, hidden away, of a naughty girl and boy. I often wondered if it were really hers, it was in one of her books. No signature.
    ..

    • Thank you very much, Jim.
      My mom always loved art, but she wasn’t able to go to art school when she was young. She really went back to it in her 70s, I think, and showed her work for the first time in her 80s. We have lots of artists in the family.

      Funny about that drawing you found. 😊

  21. The tone of the paintings gives me a sense of comfort; much needed in the strange times we’re in…
    Things aren’t always what they seem. My vagueness is just a means to keep the dirty laundry from airing out on this platform.

    Although the song that is referenced is unfamiliar to me, I enjoyed it very much, and poetry is just as beautiful as art. These two vehicles of mental stimulation accompany each other like two strangers that have an aha moment together on a bus. Never to be associated again.

    Thank you for your blog.

    Kudos from an underdog.

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