15 December 2012

Poem

Winchelsea Beach - Sussex

Of Memory


Swirling mist 
Coiling 
Or steam rising. 
Images blinking incoherently. 
Snatches of lines once said - 
Chronological tombola - 
The fruits of growing older. 
I saw a face, 
I heard a voice... 
Once. 

Unchosen 
They well up 
From benighted depths 
Far below -
Swirling, spinning - 
People you used to know, 
Sights once seen, 
Places once been – 
Recollection, 
Reminiscence... 
Once. 

Editing 
Is all. 
What’s saved 
And what is lost - 
You never get to choose 
Or count the cost 
Of the life you’ve lived 
Defined by 
Memory’s markers - 
Like ancient groynes 
In the tide-washed sands 
Of time.

2 comments:

  1. I liked this very much. I was glad I knew what groynes were, though, since that was a fairly central image. We don't have them in eNZed.

    You have a frequent (icon in the visual arts) motif? of regret and might-have-been-ness. It's interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KATHERINE I think that icon/motif is part of the human condition. There may be bluster, ego and sheen but scrape the surface and I think that this is what you will invariably find in larger or lesser degree. I really appreciate the fact that you have given my poems thoughtful consideration. It's encouraging.

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Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

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