Firecrackers (Photo credit: sarub)
The debris of these many years
alights your mind like a firecracker
out of season; a chance sighting
on the street of similar hair,
a similar walk and memories flooded back
A dam unstuck, overwhelming
And you thought you could
forget her
Had you not strung your life up
with new adventures, new family and friends
like lights upon a Christmas tree?
And had you not written and re-written
songs and poetry and prose, the
narrative of the past, in blood
on virgin sheets, to re-tell the sordid truth
and all you did, and what she evaded?
All these things just to forget her?
The past is not a shadow, not
a lurking figure skulking in the background,
not a drinker maudlin way past closing time
It is the shape of the future, just as surely
as the shape of her white, white hand
held out as though to wave goodbye, cuts across
all memories and crystallizes the moment
you decided, if you did nothing else
in life, achieved no other aims, you would do this:
You would forget her
But it’s pointless, like the lyrics
to a song that made you weep once
and now only draws the slightest sigh,
time withers all; it lulls you, passed remembering,
till even the urgency of the need, the desire,
the sheer requirement to be disciplined, fails you
and you can no longer forget her
So feel it tumble back, your defences
stripped bare; transcendence is gone now
It’s all in the pit of lost choice
and odd, fractured denial; that one moment
she reached out, and you turned away,
snarling, lost in pain too deep
So you know, it’s all back, back with you
and as long as you live, you will never be free
and you will never, you will never
forget her.
(c) Helen Valentina 2013, All Rights Reserved
For mindlovemisery’s prompt to be inspired by selected songs of Jeff Buckley – I chose his song Forget Her but my poem has a different, ambiguous slant to it about who might be the darker party involved. 🙂
See mindlovemisery’s wonderful poetry at http://mindlovemisery.wordpress.com
helenvalentina 
Oh this is gorgeous Helen! I love it the despair, the hopelessness, the agony it is divine =)
Thanks so much!! 🙂 🙂
Hellen —“killer ” u nailed it ..
Thanks so much, that’s so kind!! 🙂 🙂
That is some superb writing with emotions etched within every word. 🙂
Thanks so much, that is very kind!! 🙂 🙂
Who were we talking about here again? I’ve forgotten now…
LOLOL!! 🙂 🙂
lost love always haunts the heart…no matter how it ended…knowing that someone you loved will never be touched again can be very haunting…
Very true! thank you!! 🙂 🙂
Superb take on the prompt, definitely an amazing poem, wow!
Thank you so much, that is very kind! 🙂 🙂
haunting memories
septic images passed time
weeping forget-me-nots.
copyright 2013 by Ron Kule, Poet. Reserved.
Thanks so much, what a lovely way to comment! 🙂 🙂
The beauty of replying to another artist’s work, Helen, is that, if done with a poem or other form of art, it is duplicated (understood). Thank you.
Thank you!! 🙂 🙂
my pleasure, Helen
L-O-V-E the way you write, Helen.
Thanks Noora – I feel the same way about your writing!! 🙂 🙂
You and your previous poems are the reason I’m here. The fact that you chose the same song as I did makes me smile. The poem itself makes me want to say: it’s amazing. 🙂
Thank you, how incredibly kind of you, so much appreciated! I shall be coming to see your poem! 🙂
Dark depiction of denial and despair… wonderful.
Thank you!! 🙂 🙂
Profound melancholy in this…So many times I have had a song take me back to love lost or gained…Beautiful piece.
Thanks so much!!! 🙂 🙂