I ... entered the poem of life, whose purpose is ... simply to witness the beauties of the world, to discover the many forms that love can take. (Barabara Blackman in 'Glass After Glass')

These poems are works in progress and may be updated without notice. Nevertheless copyright applies to all writings here and all photos (which are either my own or used with permission). Thank you for your comments. I read and appreciate them all, and reply here to specific points that seem to need it — or as I have the leisure. Otherwise I reciprocate by reading and commenting on your blog posts as much as possible.

15 July 2015

Coming to Rest

I was in Venice with you, and
Kathmandu with you, and Cusco
with you — beloved cities.

They are gone now, irrecoverable,
not what they were (places of singing,
shining) seventeen years ago.

Is Venice still sinking? Kathmandu
is rubble. The people are old, we knew
in Cusco. And you are dead, my dear.

I’m glad to remember those cities, our cities;
and glad to be here, home, remembering
you, my journey’s companion.


At dVerse Poetics we are asked to write 12 lines including three words that mean a lot to us (mine are 'Venice', 'Kathmandu', 'Cusco') and three words describing people or things we're grateful for (mine are 'remember', 'home', 'you').

16 comments:

  1. What a wonderful memory to share with us, Rosemary! Travelling is so greatly enhanced by the people we travel with, isn't it? Certain places are forever etched in my memory with my travel companion. You are lucky to have these memories, although that third stanza, in its unadorned simplicity, did break my heart a little...

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  2. I would argue that no place is the same after we have lost a love one we visited them with, but those places as well age the same as us. Maybe too, after losing the one that brought significance to the moment, we notice those things all the more. They may have been crumbling before, but then we did not notice it for the feelings we were sharing.

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  3. Lovely poem Rosemary. Thank you for sharing those memories with us. The demise of the cities makes the loss seem even greater.

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  4. Oh Rosemary.. this is such a beautiful & poignant piece.. thank you for sharing your memories with us.. I agree that nothing feels the same after we have lost a loved one. My heart goes out to you.

    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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  5. Sobering, ingratiating, lovely, & beautiful-sad. I have limited most of my travel to North America, loving those road trips. Your memories are golden, gilded, bittersweet. Global warming is sinking New Orleans Galveston, & Charleston too.

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  6. The reality of a companion's death will affect every aspect of a life shared and how nothing will ever be the same since they are gone.

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  7. one of your best - this really touched me. let us hope those cities are rebuilt - and become memories for others too.

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  8. I love the first stanza, and this:

    "is rubble. The people are old, we knew
    in Cusco. And you are dead, my dear."

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  9. Poignant, melancholic but with the wise understanding that we really never can go back.

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  10. I can feel these lines beneath my skin. Lovely! Thank you for sharing.

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  11. Poignant! Thank you for sharing your memories. Hugs.

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  12. Very touching share ~ My the good and happy memories keep you going strong & fulfilled ~

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  13. I want to write to that prompt, too, Rosemary. You have done so so beautifully here - the names of those beloved cities, now so much changed....the remembering, from home, of the journey you made together. Beautiful and poignant.

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  14. No LOVE REMEMBERS love
    as Love is LOSS.. oh.. a SONG
    in EYES NEVER dies..:)

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  15. To lose a loved one is bad in memory! Having recourse to places visited together before can be therapeutic so as to cushion the sadness in some ways, Well penned Rosemary!

    Hank

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  16. This is so moving. I have a friend who was born in Kathmandu and it has been heartbreaking for her to see how so many of her childhood memories are now literally 'rubble' that will never be rebuilt.

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