Open Link Night Thursday at dVerse. Submit any one poem of your choice! Come join us and find a new favorite poet! And no, they are not uppity pretentious poems either! Samurai, cowboys, beaches, everyday wonders….oh my.
Magnolia
I find I am missing magnolias –
Dinner plate sized blooms of creamy white
and the scent of lemony rose.
I find I am missing magnolias
in the huge tree that presided over
the yard of my old home place.
I find I am missing magnolias
in the old crystal punch bowl
in the downstairs hall.
I find I am missing magnolias
with white blooms soft and fragile
as summer stars in the velvet night.
I find I am missing magnolias
glowing in the moonlight and
acting as beacons for searching fire flies.
In the long lonely night when
I am sleepless and needing some peace,
I find I am missing magnolias.
public domain photo
kanzen sakura 
Jun 23, 2016 @ 13:24:59
I love how you used that repetitions… The missing of all aspects of the wonderous bloom.
Jun 23, 2016 @ 15:33:32
Thank you Bjorn!
Jun 23, 2016 @ 15:13:44
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous write Toni 😀 the repeating lines create such a stunning effect ❤ ❤
Lots of love,
Sanaa
Jun 23, 2016 @ 15:32:20
Thank you!
Jun 23, 2016 @ 15:34:49
The repetition is so engaging, and I love how you end the poem with the opening line.
Jun 23, 2016 @ 15:37:15
Thank you very much!
Jun 23, 2016 @ 15:47:40
Beautiful use of repetition, nice melodious build-up. And yes, alas, the magnolia season is far too short, isn’t it?
Jun 26, 2016 @ 20:15:00
Hi there. I am just now catching up to remarks. The y are short but in this part of the world, the magnolias go from End of May to almost August, blooming up the tree. When you have those ancient monster trees, the blooming can last for several months!
Jun 23, 2016 @ 16:02:05
Beautiful. This is how I feel about my iris. The season of some flowers is just too short lived.
Jun 23, 2016 @ 16:43:41
Ooh! This. Is… WOW! The refrain has so much going for it. It is a lasting memory. A regret. A longing. A touch stone to a favored time. And now you have me missing magnolias! Beautiful, Toni!
Jun 24, 2016 @ 15:18:57
Thank you Walt!
Jun 23, 2016 @ 17:05:05
I love the refrain of missing magnolias too Toni. Love their scents and bloom soft and fragile
as summer stars in the velvet night.
Jun 24, 2016 @ 15:18:37
Thank you Grace.
Jun 23, 2016 @ 17:12:03
Now I know what I’ve been missing too (sigh). A gorgeous poem, Toni…full of yearning and beautiful memories.
Jun 23, 2016 @ 19:50:24
I miss magnolias, too, Toni. They are so stately. My parents used to lived on the street where the Rose Parade begins. The entire street is planted with them. The repetition works so well in this, too.
Jun 23, 2016 @ 20:45:26
I like how magnolias can span into so many meanings within the poem, as if missing magnolias contain all the positives missed at a given moment in life.
Jun 24, 2016 @ 15:15:28
Very true! Thank you.
Jun 23, 2016 @ 21:06:40
My husband loves their smell. I love the repetition, lovely poem.
Jun 24, 2016 @ 15:13:45
Thank you. They do have a unique and lovely smell.
Jun 23, 2016 @ 22:51:00
Beautiful poem, Toni!
Jun 24, 2016 @ 15:13:19
Thank you!
Jun 24, 2016 @ 15:20:42
You’re welcome! 🙂
Jun 24, 2016 @ 08:51:44
Oh this is lovely. The repetition is powerful, and changing it from the first line of the stanza to the last line in the final stanza was the perfect way to cap off the poem.
Jun 24, 2016 @ 15:07:25
Thank you Bryan!
Jun 24, 2016 @ 10:03:19
Such a craving, a nostalgia. The scent of magnolia’s in the night. Heady stuff, Kanzen. ❤ ❤ ❤ I agree about the repetitions. Effective.
Jun 24, 2016 @ 15:07:03
Thank you dear Tess. ❤ ❤ ❤
Jun 24, 2016 @ 13:07:10
Wonderfully done! Inspirational.
Jun 24, 2016 @ 15:06:30
Thank you
Jun 24, 2016 @ 13:34:06
Yes, the repetition is effective and, although I don’t have one in my own garden, I too am missing magnolias! A delightful poem, Toni!
Jun 24, 2016 @ 15:18:05
Thank you! I am so glad you enjoyed
Jun 24, 2016 @ 17:33:01
Me too, but they’ll be back in next door’s garden come next Spring. I miss frangipanni more, as I’m unlikely to be in tropic climes again. Your poem is gorgeous, and made me think of lots of things I miss.
Jun 26, 2016 @ 20:13:12
I am glad. I’ve never smelled the frangipani flowers hving never been to that area. But lovely scents are lovely scents!
Jun 24, 2016 @ 21:42:54
I love the cadence of your poem. Not a native Southern boy, I — I cannot say I’m missing that particular flower and scent. When I fill in with apple blossoms, Lilacs, and the roses I planted up north, I totally get the feeling you so aptly paint. Great job.
Jun 26, 2016 @ 20:11:48
Good! I am glad. But magnolias are unique.
Jun 24, 2016 @ 22:54:09
I can hear Dr, John singing about missing magnolias in June… 🙂 When I first moved to SC, my mom bought silk magnolias and strings of fake pearls to decorate her Christmas tree. It was so lovely! Thank you for sharing this gentle poem, it warmed me.
Jun 26, 2016 @ 20:11:11
I love hearing about the silk magnolias with fake pearls. A very popular Christmas tree decoration in these parts.
Jun 03, 2019 @ 08:40:15
I love this one and find it has quite an impact on me, quite different from your ghazal, but wonderful tributes to the beauty of magnolias.
Jun 03, 2019 @ 14:39:12
Thank you!