© 2012 Steve
King
All rights reserved
So much formality I should not force—
this coolness and austere reserve,
the unrelenting conversation
disguising just how little
there is now to be said.
Soon there will be silence,
and phantoms better suited
for this ceaseless shadow play;
the shrinking reservoir
of common memories
must serve to drain the leavings of each day.
Then shall I drink quickly of the lees,
and wonder freely of what might remain:
listening for echoes where once were sundry sounds;
inventing better days that should have been.
So sad..the goodbyes and all of a sudden being formal with someone that was close to us. Nice write, Steve.
ReplyDeleteThat second stanza has a mournful truth, and the last lines are telling; one of the dubious thrills of aging is that there are no more thrills, only their ghost memories,which is perhaps why they seem like the true sound, and everything subsequent an echo. Beautiful, honest piece of writing, Steve.
ReplyDeleteI think this is profound. It is a cup of truth wherein swim both regrets and joys and the unexplained things that made some in our lives die, and other simply pull back or fade away. Beautifully said.
ReplyDeleteah that is so sad...the fading in small bits and pieces until nothing is left..happens way too often..
ReplyDeletewhew...those last 2 lines are so chocked full of feeling for me...lots of truth in this...esp that second stanza...hard but honest...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brian. I sense you have immense talent. A very nice post.
ReplyDeleteCan be hard to invent, as things dwindle away, and hmph was not first today.
ReplyDeletethis is a perfect capture of THAT feeling... so sad and poignant and perfectly spelled out.
ReplyDeleteI came back to read this...only to see what I have missed..that it was all about days gone by...interesting how sometimes poetry can lead you to think one thing when it's another. Love these lines...
ReplyDeletewondering freely of what might remain:
listening for echoes where once were sundry sounds;
inventing better days that should have been.
Those last two lines resonate: "Listening for echoes where once were sundry sounds /inventing better days that should have been...goodbyes are so final...this one so poignant, painful, yet beautiful. x
ReplyDeleteSteve, the whole thing is wonderful, especially the closing line, "inventing better days that should have been." Don't we all do that when a romance fails? Hell, when anything fails? Great. Amy
ReplyDeletehttp://sharplittlepencil.com/2012/06/14/we-interrupt-your-regularly-scheduled-programming/
The ending is powerful and full of longing. Thanks for a great emotional experience. Mosk
ReplyDeleteI like the way you wrote this theme, understated emotions yet packs a punch of what might have been. I specially love the last stanza ~
ReplyDeleteSteve, as always with your poetry I have read it through several times, just for the sheer beauty of the word choice, the subtle rhyming. I could not choose any single line I liked better, as each line (each word) resonates to become the whole. Not just good-bye to a person, but good-bye to all that was or could have been. Wonderfully captured.
ReplyDeleteOpened masterfully setting the tone throughout....
ReplyDelete