Unpredictable.
Lightning flashes,
hot licks that seared your soul.
Rosary beads tucked in drawer
near lace-edged handkerchiefs
and candy wrappers.
Pinochle, canasta
she held the deck,
played war occasionally.
A one-man woman she
danced to big band sounds.
Buried sister, son
two birthdays apart,
hers not theirs.
Gone these many years,
she still pops in and out
unpredictably.
Walt is hosting dVerse Poets’ Pub today, asking us to write about a character.
She was indeed.
lillian the home poet 
Lovely tribute; my mother died at 39 in ’66, my mother-in-law died last year in July right after her 90th birthday. I miss them both.
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Thank you, Glenn.
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What a character indeed… she seems to have been a person to be around, one where unpredictable cater for fun surprise…
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Unpredictable she was.
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Beautifully depicted, Lillian! That is surely one lady that has made an impression.
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Thank you, Walt. As I mentioned — your prompt took me back in time, thinking about so many folks.
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You did it, and you did it so beautifully! You didn’t tell us about her, you shared her with us. You revealed her through her idiosyncratic actions. This is wonderful! Thank you!
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So glad you enjoyed. Smiling I am.
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Great smile 🙂 can’t help hearing a tribute like that and wishing I knew her
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She was quite the unpredictable one!
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Truly, a character study, Lillian, in the highest order. Felt like, I was meeting Helen, for the first time, with your descriptive verses.
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Thank you! So glad you got to meet her 🙂
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This is sketched with sharp edges, but – somehow – a tender center. Love it, Lill.
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Oh my — you have no idea how true your words are here.
Glad you enjoyed.
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What a lovely lady!
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So glad you got to meet her!
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Truly a unique and fascinating character Lillian ~ I specially love:
Pinochle, canasta
she held the deck,
played war occasionally.
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Glad you enjoyed, Grace. Tippin’ my second morning cup to you!
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Such a tender and heartfelt tribute.. ❤
Beautifully penned.
Lots of love,
Sanaa
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Thank you, Sanaa!
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The unpredictable bookends are delicious slices of bread for the sandwich – so sharp – in between! You paint with a palette knife rather than watercolor blur. Beautiful and focused!
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Oh what a wonderful reply! 🙂 Smiling I am — many thanks.
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What Sanaa said and more! And that picture! We all should have such people popping in! What fun!
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She was quite the unpredicatable one. I do love this picture of her 🙂
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hers not theirs.
Gone these many years
she still pops in and out
unpredictably
Those with a good heart outlived others. They stayed on to bring cheer to all and sundry! Rightly said, Lilian!
Hank
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Thanks, Hank. Glad you enjoyed.
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I also knew a woman of similar character, she is with me yet though long gone.
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By the way, Lillian, this is Mark from the Walking Man ~
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Thanks, Grace. I just went over and saw his blog. Will see his poem in a bit when I get to my dVerse reading this morning.
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They do pop in and out of our memories — 🙂
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Beautifully done, Lillian. I love those last lines because they are so familiar:
Gone these many years,
she still pops in and out
unpredictably.
Do you sometimes catch a hint of her scent in the air or suddenly sing a song that she loved? I still talk to my nan when I need her.
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It is true, right? Something will trigger that memory — So glad you enjoyed this one. I do love this picture of her — so much better than many of the more formal or posed ones we have.
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Lovely tribute written so beautifully.
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Thank you so very much for the kind words.
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I would love to have met her! Wonderfully described 🙂
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She was something!
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ELder mEmories
sweeT and soUr
olD of grey
younG aT
heARt
DancE
of SoUL
LiVes oN
iN oUr eYes
meeT aGaiN
heARt fLies
SingS SpiRiT
SonG oF wE..:)
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Meet again indeed…….
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Yes.. So
True..:)
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She must have been good fun, unpredictable or not. You’ve nailed the prompt beautifully.
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Smiling I am with my morning cup on this side of the world. 🙂
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Lillian
in Helen’s smile your words resonate
there is something to the beguiling wisdom of the aged we’ll never grasp until we shuffle over to that side of the golden bridge
sometimes words help us view from our side of the span – bring us into a deep-lined face bearing exquisite eyes –
your verse here is one of those magical ‘transportive’ works
am:)
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Yes — this is my favorite picture of my mom. I like it much better than the more formal ones or the ones she posed with others for etc. Here’s to many cups before our shuffle tme arrives!
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Apologies here, my dear friend.
I did not realize this image was that of your cherished mother. I should have known from her dynamic smile. She looks like the best part of many wonderfully warm characters pressed into one glorious soul.
am:)
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Not to worry….she was truly an unpredictable one with flashes of lightning in the mix.
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