Carolina in the Morning

"Where the morning glories twine around the door, whispering pretty stories I long to hear once more." I love that line, and my morning glories have come back this year, twining not around "the door" but around the bougainvillea. The morning glories are white with hot pink centers; the bougainvillea is fuschia. The combination is breathtaking, and every time I see them together I think of my grandmother singing that song to me as we sat on her front stoop to cool off on hot summer evenings.

Now that I think about it, I probably got my vivid imagination from those songs she shared with me on the stoop. She didn't have a great voice, but she liked to sing and she always knew the lyrics. Other than the title song, I remember "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" (her favorite, I think), "In Your Easter Bonnet", and "Daisy, Daisy" (or maybe it's called "Bicycle Built for Two"). All of them conjure up clear images of beautiful things. And even though it's been forty to fifty years since I used to listen to her sing, I can't hear any of those songs in any voice other than hers, and I also can't see any of those images without thinking of her singing those songs. Every time, it makes a little bit sad but more happy.