Tuesday, October 30, 2007

are you out there?


I see
Streetlight tricks on the upshorn leaves
behind the shadow pine
catching the corner of my eye

I hear
Dry soundscrapes of tumbling remants
down the deserted road
threatening nocturnal emptiness


I listen to
An infrequent pitched squeak of a bare branch
against the window pane
warning of winter's cold breath

I feel
haunted sadness when I see your image
behind my closed eyes
haunted regret when I sense your presence
captured in an illusionary embrace


I taste
the last remnants of a parched thirst
the slow drip of salty tears wandering in lost causes
touching my lips in ache
I remember
how you looked at me,
how you used to look right into me.


and it makes me wonder about
shivering loneliness caught in the throat of a cry.

and it makes me long for
surrendering tenderness found in the shared darkness of two souls


to soothe my wounds
to remind me of my beauty
to savour when the winds moan
a bitter song
of wanting what I cannot find.





This week's prompt for Writer's Island is "haunted"..........a deliciously enticing and downright frightening dare. I double dare you to check out the site........

11 comments:

paisley said...

and it makes me long for
surrendering tenderness found in the shared darkness of two souls


two very broken people searching each for their own lost soul... those were the best days of my life....
strange isn't it?????

Keith's Ramblings said...

What a lovely piece. Haunted by the basic senses. Loved it.

Karen said...

I feel
haunted sadness when I see your image
behind my closed eyes
haunted regret when I sense your presence
captured in an illusionary embrace

That was just perfect Dana....

Matthew said...

I really enjoyed this and love how you engaged all of the senses. Memory is like that, no?

carmilevy said...

Last night, on the last leg of driving the kids between countless appointments (it's our eldest son's bar mitzvah this weekend...we're stressed) I found my car pointed into the setting sun. I was driving and couldn't stop to take the picture, so I did the next best thing: chatted with our son about it felt like to see color this rich.

He seems to view the world as I do, namely graphically. It was one of those moments that I'll remember vividly even though I don't have an actual picture of it. Some things transcend two-dimensional imagery.

Then...I log in here and see a gorgeous photo, complete with a sensory tour of poetry that evokes what I felt at that moment with our no-longer-little guy.

You always manage to share, inspire and challenge. Thanks for this.

awareness said...

paisley...strange in a way that I think many can completely understand.

thank you keith. Drop by anytime.

gypsy.....i added those lines last. I sat for a while looking at the poem knowing it needed something else. When I found those words in my closet tucked away under a bunch of shoeboxes (kidding)the poem felt more complete. They resonated with me the most too.

Matthew...Memory is really like that for me. Sometimes it's an aroma that will trigger a memory...sometimes its a familiar looking vista.....a song, a tone of voice......alway evoke memories for me. Also, if I am thinking of someone in particular, I normally can conjure up many sensory connections to them.

Carmi.....I have never attended a Bar Mitzvah, but have always been intrigued because of it's strong feelings around moving from childhood to adulthood. The beautiful rituals and prayers and the surrounding loved ones that bring with them unconditional love and belonging to a young man.

No doubt you're stressed and reminiscent and feeling a whole bunch of deep emotions this week.

Give Zach a hug for me and tell him that there are others like me who will be thinking of him during the ceremony and celebrations.......he's one lucky individual to have inherited many of your gifts.....particularly how you view the world.

take care........

Marja said...

The slow drip of tears wandering in lost causes. Absolutely magnificent. All of it. Thanks

paris parfait said...

Brilliant work, involving all the senses. And like Marja, I am enchanted by the line "slow drip of tears wandering in lost causes." A poem fraught with longing and regret.

awareness said...

Marja and Tara. Thank you. The line was composed from somewhere that I'm hardpressed to figure out. It came out of my fingertips whole and surprised me. havent a clue how to interpret it. Papa Freud would I'm sure.

Tumblewords: said...

No doubt this will resonate with many. It has the words we all wish we could have said and the feelings we wish we might have avoided or might have seen in a different light. Awesome work!

gautami tripathy said...

"slow drip of tears" touched me...