Dedicated to my Aunt Mary Helen Helmer….
Sad Echoes on Periwinkle Lane
She turns out the light
and bids her love goodnight.
As her flood of tears fills the sea,
copper roof turns to verdigris.
A silent grief crashes down,
landing without a sound.
She lives on Periwinkle Lane
and nothing’s ever been the same
since her true love passed away
on that August day.
No reason to live,
she’s got nothing left to give.
The hydrangeas turn to brown
As autumn leaves float to the ground.
Her anguish fills the damp chill air
Sad echoes everywhere…
She greets her angel of death,
exhales her final breath.
Colleen Keller Breuning © 2026
September 19, 2026
Hello friends and family! I think I knew I was going to write about death this week. Bear in mind, this poem is completely fictional, but it speaks to the overwhelming grief anyone might experience in life, which we all will at some point.
A week ago, I learned of my beloved Aunt Mary Helen’s death. We drove up to Maryland for the funeral this past Wednesday, and it was completely heartbreaking. I wept as I approached her coffin alone. She had become so frail, and in the past years had withered away to nothing. So sad! She was a beautiful soul, and seeing her children and grandchildren in such grief… was absolutely crushing. I held each of them tightly with love and sympathy …. Her daughter Emmy told me that she kept my poetry book right there at her recliner, and read it frequently. Then she said “she loved you so much.” I was overcome with emptions, as I had no idea…. Thought I do know that her family was the whole of Aunt Mary Helen’s existence!
No, she did not live on Periwinkle Lane, but she lived very simply and loved very large! She was divorced, and she did not have a true love who passed in August. But writing this was a quite cathartic, to piece together some of my own grief and write something as a release. That’s my therapy, and my grounding.
I imagine it was a beautiful homecoming for Mary in heaven….being greeted by her own angels – her mother, father, sister and 11 brothers! Now they are just missing my Aunt Jean, who is 98 and unfortunately becoming frail as well…. It’s so sad, but ultimately death does become part of life, not matter how we try to think otherwise. To my dear cousins Bill, Mary Ellen and family – I love you with all my heart, and am here for you! Xoxo
Love,
Colleen
Inspiration: “Spectre” by Radiohead
NOTE: This poem was written to the syllabic/rhyme scheme of this song.
Ecrits Blogophilia Week 12.18 – Periwinkle Lane
Hard Bonus: Incorporate “verdigris”
Easy Bonus: Include your favorite flower (hydrangeas)
Colleen Keller Breuning 