The small white square of the Alamo
was a glimpse only as we sped past,
one building in a street
of newer, taller, wider forms
that had it surrounded.
It looked ridiculously tiny
but pretty; its crenellated rim
like an edging of lace.
It was natural, I suppose,
that my mind would turn
to the old, sweet song about
the rose: Rose of San Antone,
Where in dreams I live
with a memory …
An interlude of joyful
dancing music, players
like jesters and troubadours.
And the tall stranger afterwards,
talking of shades and angels.
Enchantment strange …
but we had to go.
Broken song …
It plays in my head now
each time I recall those moments,
a tender lament
for dreams half-remembered,
that never were, or might have been....
Deep within my heart …
by the Alamo ...
Submitted (several years later) for dVerse Poetics: Trip the Poem Fantastic
nice..i always love when special moments have a song that takes us back right there when we listen to it..a bit of sadness in the beauty with the having to go..the man talking of shades and angels...sounds fascinating...there's always so much magic in traveling..
ReplyDeleteSweet interlude
ReplyDeleteeven today
It's a bit like reruns on tv, only you can't switch them on and off so easily
...the missing sometimes kills... go & freed your heart... settle not with a nostalgia... smiles...
ReplyDeletewhat an intriguing stranger you met...the shadows and angels....the alamo is def a lot smaller than i thought it would be...went there a few years ago...
ReplyDeleteIt's so interesting how we remember things that never actually happened or not in the way they happened, but they get mixed up in a kind of dream like way of what should have happened or would have been nice. Much enjoyed, Rosemary. k.
ReplyDeleteI like the dreamlike quality of the poem. And who would describe the Alamo as tiny? Never been there.. but from history it sounds so large.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Rosemary. I know just where you are talking about. I was there a few years ago. Nice to have those dreams and memories....and this poem!
ReplyDeleteSome songs can bring back memories, bad or good but always with nostalgia ~ I specially like the ending verse, very heartfelt ~
ReplyDeleteWhere in dreams I live
ReplyDeletewith a memory …
beautiful
Passed through San Antonio once; found it a lovely place, The Alamo def is smaller in scale than the history would lead one to believe, but very moving to see it and how the city is nestled in low hills....nice to be taken back with the song and 'memory' of your trip;)
ReplyDelete