and do you remember -?
i’m sure you do, in
the darkest dregs
of your mind, beyond
the tunnels of shifting grays
direct your gaze away from
the lines across the train platform
if you stare at them too long,
they become blurry, and you’ll forget
what it’s like to be human
watch your step- don’t you know that
if you’re not careful, you could
step on a land mine and unearth
a memory your mind has been merciful enough
to let you forget
keep your hand clasped into mine
so tightly you forget what it is like
to be two different entities in space
and we exist for a moment infinitely
in the only way we know, in the only way we will
definitely forget later, how tragic it is
my golden moments spill through my fingers
those glittering grains of sand, coarse
against my aged hands, but no bother
follow me close, don’t miss that next turn
the turn is important, this is a one-way street
don’t look back, we’ve come too far
to back down, to apologize
for daring to break the mold carved into
the mess of the walls on the inside of your shell
and when the water becomes distorted
and you feel like you’re made of smoke
keep your eyes forward through the waving white
force them open and focus on my clammy hand
try not to breathe, the air is toxic here
don’t apologize- we’ve all had our dark moments
when the tale they call time
becomes too hard for one to carry
it is a heavy burden to shoulder alone
but you cannot give up, we are almost there
these are the hours that matter, these are the footsteps
and the echoes they will write of one day
but first you must survive and tell the tale
the only way is forward, burn that thought
into the back of your head,
do you see the oak doors up ahead
even if you don’t you must pretend
and convince yourself, and then it will be there
believe me if you cannot believe in yourself
watch the roots, they sprawl
across this otherwise barren landscape
this is the palace of broken dreams, this is the
ruins of smoky ghosts and the hall of fractured mirrors
eyes forward, you must keep them forward, or else
you could get lost in between the sheets
of glaring, taunting stares of the different versions
of yourself, hold my hand tight now,
the door is in front of you, isn’t the door knob smooth
in your hand, it caresses your skin
like a metal promise, and for a moment
doesn’t it feel like the invisible knob on the imaginary door frame
from one of your childhood games, i am
letting go of your hand now, i am going now, look,
the doors is opening, and between the two planks
of ancient scripture, the past spills out:
a torrent of tears and grief, and as waves crash
upon your vulnerable head, squint your eyes against the foam
eyes forward, grip onto my hand, and if you cannot feel it
if you cannot feel my presence or see my faded form
you must pretend i am still there, eyes forward
you cannot afford to look for me, i do not matter
in the grand scheme of things, isn’t it beautiful
how as the waters ebb light spills in
as the different colors float across this flooded dreamland
it knocks the distorted mirrors away, but even so
you must be careful not to step on the shards
on your way back, and not to trip on the roots
as you walk along the twists and turns
with the vision of a paradise now extinct
captured like a bird in the cage of your thoughts
don’t forget to make the turn
on the way back to the train station
and if you let your eyes linger
on the fuzzy lines try not to wonder
what the lines are made of
if you do, you might forget
what it is like to love.
Comments2
Brilliant!
(please, forgive
my inexcusable rudeness, dear poet
my foolish overeager, nature
couldn't resist
sharing with you, how
your wondrous poetry
presented itself to me
I'm so sorry, I truly mean no disrespect..
thank you! for choosing to share your poetic genius)
'and we exist for a moment infinitely
in the only way we know, in the only way we will'
'those glittering grains of sand, coarse
against my aged hands, but no bother
follow me close, don’t miss that next turn
the turn is important, this is a one-way street'
'watch your step- don’t you know that
if you’re not careful, you could
step on a land mine and unearth
a memory your mind has been merciful enough
to let you forget'
'if you cannot feel my presence or see my faded form
you must pretend i am still there, eyes forward
you cannot afford to look for me, i do not matter
in the grand scheme of things, isn’t it beautiful
how as the waters ebb light spills in
as the different colors float across this flooded dreamland'
'with the vision of a paradise now extinct
captured like a bird in the cage of your thoughts
don’t forget to make the turn
on the way back to the train station
and if you let your eyes linger
on the fuzzy lines try not to wonder
what the lines are made of
if you do, you might forget
what it is like to love.'
not rude at all. i thank you for your kind-worded comment. be well.
One very seldom comes accross such a versatile use of language these days. Your poetic licence depth is quite seminal, dear writer. Very well done. So vivid one could touch the picture.
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