Whispers of Violets
They said you couldn’t be done
That you were capricious, disdainful, coy
A slow starter and rarely-ender
For years we listened to them
For years I warily pondered you
From the corner of a mistrustful eye
A June flower
An August berry
An October Lady in her violet drape
Beckoning from the palm of my hand
And then one day
A tentative crush beneath the teeth
An astonishing burst of tart mystery
And a fragrance… elusive, impossible to name
Out of reach in a dim bank of dusty neurons
A fragrance of other times
A bouquet of questions
Violet. Violette.
Who today remembers the perfume of a shy March violet
quivering at the base of an old tree in the east woods?
We said no
And no, and no again
Too risky
Too much trouble
Too ill-advised
Your siren song persisted
Insisted we trek to that patch of violets one rainy March morning
Trek the perfume
Your perfume
How had we forgotten
This old fashioned purple scent from our great-grandmother’s childhood?
And thus we yielded.
If the time is right
The site propitious
If the soil is juste
And the sun, the rain, the wind
And all the fairies are on your side
Then you are in for a magic potion
No teething in babyhood
No blemishes in adolescence
Self starting fermentations
Whispers of violets
Juices improbably delicious from harvest to finish
Garnet graciousness
Splashing question-marks all over my glass
Cabernet Franc from our hilltop
5 thoughts on “Whispers of Violets”
The usual Pulitzer-worthy poetry, Mary. Really, you should write professionally- oh, you do?? How ridiculous of me. Awaiting your next volume, not to mention your fam’s Cab Franc blend, with anticipation.
Dearest Mary,
As always, your poetic description of this precious, delectable fruit sends a melodic song to my ears. Thank you for sharing the beauty of “The Whispers of Violet”! One day we shall share a glass of your labors.
Until said time, sweet cousin, hugs & kisses,
Pam ??
Beautiful descriptions reading like poetry. Wishing I could be there. Congratulations on following your dream. How proud John and Lucie must be as well as all the ancestors!
Your words and poetry are so beautiful, what passion and love, someday we may share a glass or two ! ????????
Oh Mary, this is beautiful!