i let you go,
& now the bench looks cold --
empty & stilled by ice
even the trees are strangers,
veiled in heavy crystals
& silent as the cold wind --
i walk along the park,
trying to embrace the moment
of your absence, like a warm
candle light
that flickers my chest,
softer than snowflakes --
i hold the fragments of your face
precious as the sun --
loneliness
sharpens like icicles
draping my morning window --
good-byes should be transient
as winter, a flip-side to hellos-
but i find that
everything burns inside --
maybe i need to learn the art
of forgetting when i remember, &
of remembering when i forget
hope curls like a tiny seed
of spring --
Posted for D'verse Poets Pub - Poetics: Art of Letting Go
Shared with Poets United
Happy weekend from cold and frosty Canada ~
oh heck...heavy emotions in this...sensitive images as well grace...
ReplyDeletelove the seed of hope curling in the end..
Thank you for the lovely inspiration, Claudia ~
DeleteThis is wonderful, Grace. I like very much the stanza...
ReplyDelete"maybe i need to learn the art
of forgetting when i remember, &
of remembering when i forget."
Hope you are surviving the snowstorm!
We are still buried under a foot high of snow ~ Thanks for visit and lovely words Mary ~
Deletei hold fragments of your face...dang...that line jumped out at me...i need to learn the art of forgetting when i remember...i like that line as well...felt verse grace....
ReplyDeleteThank you Brian ~
DeleteI too like the curling hope... such a small thing, but a precious one.
ReplyDeleteYes, a precious one ~ Thank you Hollyanne ~
DeleteWonderful post Heaven, just beautiful and sums up how hard it can be letting go, even if a bit of hope lingers. Really thought provoking writing as per usual.
ReplyDeleteThank you Matthew ~
Deleteshivers... this is amazing... I especially like:
ReplyDeleteeven the trees are strangers,
veiled in heavy crystals
& silent as the cold wind
Thank you Laurie ~
Delete"of forgetting when i remember, &
ReplyDeleteof remembering when i forget "
yes, and hope will curl up like a tiny seed of spring! :) hope always catches up with us!
Very beautiful, lovely, really better than any words I can give to it. I almost wrote about the time my husband and I parted after we had first met. Your poem reminded me of that, as it had occurred at an airport.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful final line - lovely! K
ReplyDeleteto learn the art
ReplyDeleteof forgetting when i remember, &
of remembering when i forget
Very nice. You've 'captured' the feeling of loss here….I feel it.
…and your metaphorical use of Cold, Snow, Ice to convey the emotion works.
Nice job.
i really like this:
ReplyDeletegood-byes should be transient
as winter, a flip-side to hellos-
but i find that
everything burns inside --
maybe i need to learn the art
of forgetting when i remember, &
of remembering when i forget
maybe i need to learn the art
ReplyDeleteof forgetting when i remember, &
of remembering when i forget
What a brilliant shiny pearl of your poetical wisdom, Grace!
Thank you dear Dezzy ~
DeleteI agree with the many above the forgetting lines I love. Unlike all this white stuff we got up here. Be glad when Spring is near.
ReplyDeleteSpring is still far away Pat ~ Thanks for the vist ~
Delete"....trying to embrace the moment of your absence..."
ReplyDeleteThis turns out to be more difficult than anticipated, this letting go. The person may leave, but the attached emotions refuse to go along. You've captured that hard reality.
I like that line too, you got the core of my words ~ Thanks for the lovely words and visit ~
DeleteI like the competing uses of cold and warm imagery to represent despair and hope. You have done a nice job of capturing that crappy feeling that can go with letting go. Also, not related to the poem, I love the options for your "Reactions".
ReplyDeleteThanks, its fun to think of reactions/comments ~
Delete"hope curls like a tiny seed" I love that!! It's so beautiful. As always, thank you!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend.
Have a lovely weekend too Elsie ~
DeleteWow, this was intense. Such vivid imagery, I can feel that burning just reading this. Absolutely gorgeous but heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteThank you Gretchen ~
Delete...Grace this was packed with emotions... the coldness... the fragments... and the lines about learning the art of forgetting & remembering were all hitting deeply inside... i can hear this under Liszt music... your finale line is particularly good & soft contrasting the heavy emotions you poured on the earlier lines... excellent... smiles...
ReplyDeleteFull of emotions -Full of life - full of passion- full of inner emotions and pain .
ReplyDeleteLove your style dear friend !
Beautifully crafted imagery. I especially liked "hope curls like a tiny seed of spring".
ReplyDeleteAmazing write Grace...you have a knack...lovely in it's poignancy ;)
ReplyDeletesecond to last stanza nails it!!
ReplyDeleteprima donna cat fight
Exquisite.
ReplyDeleteyes chilling, hopeful ending.
ReplyDeleteReally fine poem.
ReplyDeleteloneliness
sharpens like icicles
draping my morning window --
This spoke oceans to me.
This is a work of art. Packed with so many good lines, so wonderfully placed and woven together. Excellent write!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful...loneliness sharpens like icicles and drapes my morning window. Really resonated with me. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWonderful piece with great emotions and imagery. I like how it complements the photo - or vice versa. i also like that you don't stay in the sadness or hurt. That there is hope in the end is a good sentiment for all us Canucks to have in the midst of a cold winter. :)
ReplyDeleteWaht an intense look at loss and how it changes the whole landscape of our lives.
ReplyDeletethank goodness for hope even.in.the worst.loss
ReplyDeleteThe second last stanza is so brilliant it took my breath away.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written and great power in the words. Excellent.
ReplyDeleteYour writing is always filled with gorgeous imagery--and this feels filled with heavy emotion as well--just a gorgeous write in every way Grace.
ReplyDeleteSo sad, like a death in Winter. To those places I do go, but never linger long as the sadness is too great for my heart to bear.
ReplyDeleteSuch fantastic writing, kiddo. I especially love, at the end, "hope curls like a tiny seed of spring"....nice way to end this poignant poem.
ReplyDeleteOhhh! So sad. Lonely. Perfectly written.
ReplyDeleteThe red wine glass in your background as I scrolled made this sad song lighter -- I could feel the seed waiting for spring.
ReplyDelete"i hold fragments of your face"
ReplyDelete"loneliness
sharpens like icicles
draping my morning window"
Oh damn, I feel that/remember that so much.
Poignancy and yet that curl of hope. Beautiful, Grace.
Beautiful writing in this one. I love the seed of hope at the end.
ReplyDeleteI love this...expressive an meaningful.
ReplyDeleteThank you...
Peace,
Siggi
The close of this is fantastic - the rest is good too :-)
ReplyDeleteending with hope was cool - I felt hope throughout ...
ReplyDelete"Everything burns inside"
ReplyDeleteSo true! and so much on the outside is numb and frozen.
Your poem means everything to me right now because I am going through everything right now.....
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful. I like the hopeful ending.
ReplyDeleteGrace, this is gorgeous and I love it!
ReplyDeleteLetting go is never easy. But it is the way to pick up the pieces and move forward if something is not meant to be yours.
ReplyDeletehmmm... this is a very special poem. I find it very soul searching and intimate.
ReplyDelete