I saw her
standing there
In the shopping
centre
An old flame long
extinguished
I hesitated, then
waved
She nodded in
reply
Our love affair
was torrid
She’s now lost in
the crowd
As I reminisce
I recall
parting’s cruel pain
But that was
years ago
Yes, many tears
ago
When sadly she
saw the light
Her long hair was
so fair
She was stronger
than me
I even breathe in
her scent
I am an old man
now
What strange sad
dreams I dream
Men are such foolish weaklings
Image of Rundle Mall, Adelaide found at www.adelaidenow.com
Thank God men are weaklings where would we have got such romantic lines then?..."But that was years ago / Yes, many tears ago"..my favorite lines...
ReplyDeletei like the closeness conjured "she just lost in the crowd" intimating a desire still to find her
ReplyDeletehave a nice week
much love...
in dreams. everyone can be young.
ReplyDeletepart of our life sometimes is to reminisce moments :-)
Keep dreaming of love...there are more fickle things to lose yourself too...and become weakened by..
ReplyDeleteWe never know how life would have been I'd those blind alleys would have lead to other worlds. And sometimes one wonder if fires can be rekindled.
ReplyDeleteit's hard to meet again those who meant a lot to us in the past.. maybe there is always some questioning about what if...
ReplyDeleteah... we all do foolish things... i think i would have written about that dog in your photo... i bet he'd have some things to tell us
ReplyDeleteCuriously this not a dog but a pig! It is one in a group of four pigs cast in bronze and they are great favourites with shoppers particularly children. You can see another one sat in front of a seated man on the bench just behind the one at the waste bin.
DeleteA bit of dreaming is a wonderful thing. And a dream of a wonderful time in the past can lift one's spirits at night and continue to make one smile throughout the day.
ReplyDeleteAnd that is life, we let go of some dreams, we pursue some with courage ~
ReplyDeleteha. perhaps they are of days we miss or of times we could have chosen another path...and yest men are weak like that....
ReplyDeleteI see her sometimes these days.... damn its so awkward to say anything now
ReplyDeleteAn old flame long extinguished
ReplyDelete...But the light, although not blinding, still flickers in dreams.
Poppy
A chance encounter can often be lingering in the mind.It all depends how strong were the feelings before despite a parting prompted by a tiff! Wonderful take oldegg!
ReplyDeleteHank
The glimpse of an old flame is always a door to memories.
ReplyDeleteOh the poignancy of that closing stanza - "what strange sad dreams I dream". Then I remember the golden years you had with your wife, and know the happiness far outweighed the pain. I love the emotion in this poem, Robin.
ReplyDeleteI am moved by the closing lines too, which make an already touching poem even more poignant.
ReplyDeleteIs it weakness or a romantic heart yearning for such a strong love....I think yours is the romantic heart that men seem to deny they have....yours is very strong and alive.
ReplyDeleteYup, we are :-)
ReplyDeleteZQ
I cannot agree more.
ReplyDeleteAh, the powerful nostalgia of 'what might have been'!
ReplyDeleteah, "men are such foolish weaklings." :)
ReplyDeleteOh! Sorry to learn that you lost her.
ReplyDeleteBut, then you found someone else. Such is life!
Looks like a true story. Good one.
Yes, the feeling of what if. So many possibilities that could have led to a different life. But the one you've had is the way it was meant to be. That doesn't help us to not think of the past though. Great story telling, Old Egg :)
ReplyDeleteSeeing her in dreams - healing by itself, giving you strength and compassion to others.
ReplyDeleteYou have crafted a nostalgic and poignant piece, OE. Those times of what once was...of what could have been...I often think, perhaps, it is just as well they turned out as they did.
ReplyDelete