Awakened with the morning sun
to the soft, silken touch of my mother’s arms,
I swam with summer on a waveless lake.
I’ve glided through winter’s glossy river on blades of shimmering steel,
with the soothing chill of virgin snowflakes on my tongue.
I’ve inhaled the mellow scent of lilacs
while laying on a bed of fresh daffodils,
and gazed in wonder at the beauty of a rainbow on the Spring horizon.
*
Now, As I stand on the plane of my existence
and watch the leaves fall on the autumn of my life -
the reds, yellows, and browns of times long past -
I wax mournfully for the unwrinkled moments of my youth,
and the lustrous greens that once defined me.
I look upon the twilight of my middle age,
and see those leaves fall, in all their splendid glory,
and I can only remember, and hope.
*
I can hope that as I approach the nightfall of my life,
and close my tired eyes on the plane of my existence,
that I’ll have left memories of warmth like summer sunshine,
of ethereal smiles as soothing as the scent of spring lilacs,
of a soft, silken touch like a mother’s love,
and of a life well lived and a soul worthy
of effortless transition
to a waveless lake of eternal peace.
About the Creator
Cathy holmes
Canadian family girl with a recently discovered love for writing. Other loves include animals and sports.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Keep reading
More stories from Cathy holmes and writers in Poets and other communities.
FPS: The Last Flame Challenge Winners
Welcome to our first Winners Announcement of the year and to the final challenge in the Fall Poetry Series. The Last Flame invited writers to sit with endings, using fire as a central image to consider what remains when something burns out: ash, warmth, memory, silence, or the faint promise of what comes next. The strongest pieces treated endings as gradual rather than sudden, allowing them to flicker, dim, and linger.
By Vocal Curation Team6 days ago in Resources
Comments (50)
Rich and beautiful verses layered with meaning. I feel this. Quite lovely.
Love the images of nature your words evoke, and the wistfulness too. A wonderful read!
Very lovely imagery in this piece, Cathy. "Unwrinkled moments of my youth" - gorgeous.
What vivid description! Such a beautiful comparison to a life fulfilled.
Congratulations!!! 🥰🥰🥰
And that's how a Queen rightfully claims her throne! Congratulations!!!!!!
This was beautiful, Cathy. Happy belated Top Story and Congrats on placing!!!🥇💯🤩
Congratulations Cathy! ❤️. Beautiful poem!
Yay! Congratulations! This is a winning entry for sure! 💫💞
Super to see! So many congratulations! 🤍
YAY - Congrats buddy! Well done and all that. So happy for you, pal!
Congrats! Wonderfully written poem!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ah yes, the wistful imagery of a life well lived- love it!
Breathtaking imagery and what LC. Said. Well done Cathy 🐈⬛
Optimism in the face of our ultimate undoing is so very, very You ❤️
Such a beautiful and poignant expression, Cathy!
This was very beatiful. Ah, the wisdome from one's sense of mortality.
Your words wake up my senses. A beautiful written poem.
Love it. I can taste it... It reminds me of Lake Louise.
Back to say congrats on top story, my friend!!! So well deserved! *sorry I’m late to the party, just catching up*🙌🏽✨💞
Wow, I love this, so beautiful!
Cathy, you have such a beautiful way with words never stop writing.
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story!!!
Wow Cathy, double wow! "the unwrinkled moments" sprang out and now will remain etched in me, so perfect!