Whereto did such warm passion go, my wilful poet?
What robbed your voice of balminess and heat?
Reality, like ice, melts in your verses’ wake.
All misconceptions skewered, fade away.
But with it all, you leave behind too much.
Can’t grasp at mist, ephemeral – all dreams.
You question all the time spent in pursuit:
What is its worth? What quest has value still?
And to this I can only answer thus.
Was not my smile enough upon your pillow’s edge?
Did not my laughter twine its chime with yours?
And when I lingered in amongst your sheets,
Was I not poetry to your adoring prose?
It’s all to be forgotten, you contend.
All sullied in the toss of one cruel word.
It wasn’t worthless. It was love, and then…
Love’s end.
If you refuse to treasure it. Your loss
In memories… may never find repose.
*
In reply to Brittle by OpinionatedMan.
vic briggs 
“Nothing will ever happen that will made the eyes shed blood instead of tears.” Igbo proverb from Nigeria.
A very interesting proverb. Thank you for sharing. I am curious to know the story behind its inception.
Incredibly beautiful, Vic. You nailed the meter/rhythm too, IMO.
I lost the meter in the final line. My email alert to your post read: “In memories will never find repose.” Here I see: “In memories…may never find repose.”
“In memories shall you never find repose”? Not trying to criticize–this is a really good poem, and this is a conservative comment. The sheets-poetry-prose stanza is killer good.
This is poetry.
Thank you, navigator. That last line is a tricky one. I don’t think I have it exactly where I want it yet… May require additional thought. Thank you for your suggestion. Under consideration 🙂
I see two answers. I take option one, but at arms length. 🙂
At arms length? We measure length in feet over here, OM. Toes to be used at the measurer’s discretion. 😉
hahaha nice. I wonder. Interesting. 🙂
😉
Beautiful poem. Poetry and prose do go hand in hand. It all started with poetry though.
Poetry is often called the food of love… But at times, I am persuaded that it is the manacle of pain too. Thank you.
I like this poem. You have nicely captured the ache of love lost and confusion that surrounds it.
Thank you. It seems that I have not fully exhausted the theme of Project R: Relationship Interrupted… The broken promises that determined me to initiate it last month has stayed with me.
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Very well done. I am sorry for you for the pain that caused this beautiful statement of loss, and I am sorry for myself that it reflects perfectly where I am still, four months later after my own RI. Be well. Continue to heal. And most certainly continue to create.
Thank you for your kind comment. I hope that each day will take you further away from the pain of loss.
Warm regards,
Vic
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I like the poetry/prose contrast.
What do you think of “enough upon the edge of your pillow?”
and “I lingered among your sheets”?
Thank you, Diana.
Yes, I do like both your suggestions, although it would have to be quite a different poem to do them justice in that form, both in rhythm and content.
For example, the first adds two more syllables, and takes away the emphasis from ‘edge’ giving it to the ‘pillow’ instead, therefore softening the message.
The second takes away three syllables and adds a lightness by removing “in” (which is meant to indicate an immediacy of something other than sheets).
What do you think?
Right on (and write on). Your eye on the other elements is what writing’s about.
Thank you, Diana, for prompting me to think this through x
Why not capitalize on the resources blogging affords? Xxx D.
Indeed 🙂