Wilting daisies crown her head.
Twined in double-chain necklace
wilted more, they weep happiness
like old mood-rings on blue-veined hands.
Bare knees peek out
beneath tie-dyed ruffled skirt.
Tire-tread sandals grace her feet,
big toes polished in fireworks.
She seeks nothing now,
mind enveloped in hazy blur.
Nothing but a return to youth
before the savagery of time.
Love IS. Love the world.
Love everyone as your kin.
Crooked sloppy words
painted on torn off shingle.
She holds it high for no one to see,
proud of its weathered look.
Blotched spots drip from letters
like tears shed in her dementia world.
At seventy-one, determined to return,
she roams these Woodstock fields
empty now, save her memories.
In her mind, she is there,
back in her revolutionary days.
Merril is hosting Tuesday Poetics at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets. Today she asks us to consider the idea of revolution. We can write about it in any way: revolution of the planets, a spinning top, a political revolution, new ideas and inventions, medical discoveries. You get the idea.
lillian the home poet 
Wow, this is beautiful. 🙂
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Lillian, What a beautiful tribute to a time gone by and now here again. I love that photo and am guessing you were there?? I love the sea of humanity it shows, unified, peaceful.
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Poignant. I can imagine her. We can never go back, except we do find history repeating itself.
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That was a good time to be Lillian. And I love this line:
In her mind, she is there,
back in her revolutionary days.
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This is so impactful and beautiful. The last few lines are just WOW! So reflective.
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If dementia can lead we boomers back to the Summer of Love in1968, then bring it on. Even with the protests, the war, and drugs, it remains my favorite decade.
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A very nostalgic piece of peace and Love… back in the days of revolution… that sadly are still with us! Love the flash back to Woodstock!
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oooooh. i love the nostalgia and the air of love throughout this poem, Lillian.
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kaykuala
Who could forget the sensation of the flower people? Yes, Lillian with their big gatherings not many years ago. More so with their theme of love and flowers in their hair, LSD and the drug scene still legal and in their infancy!
Hank
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This is so poignant. The flower power revolution that was going to change the world… and didn’t. Well, maybe it did a little, and it’s great to see people who’ve held onto idealism through their lives. So many people settle.
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I agree with Sarah. Most of us just got on with our lives, but some kept the flame alight to pass along. It’s good to see hands reaching out to take it again. (K)
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This is a beautifully poignant poem Lillian.
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I’m right there with you, Sister.
I thought you might like this: https://rlavalette.wordpress.com/2020/07/05/grace-2/
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Those were the days, my friend. We thought they’d never end…
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Times we thought would last forever. Brings me back, Lillian.
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Incense and Peppermints. 😊 Lovely piece of nostalgia.
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