I know I've already posted a 'code' update today... but... I had this rattling around in my head, so I thought I'd let it out!
The mid-80’s through the mid-90’s were a strange time for me, sort of a decade all their own.
When one of my younger brothers had his wife up and leave him, I got to thinking about all that had happened to me in the past few years, how my ‘picture’, you know, the one shrinks all tell us we have (or should have) in our heads, well, mine never seemed to really solidify. It was more like a series of parts of pictures, a collage, one seemingly unrelated to another and I had to grab the one(s) I liked best and try to make them fit.
After having a long and very emotional heart to heart with my brother about the changes in his life, I wrote this next piece…
I’d actually remembered it as a piece I’d written about my Dad’s death, and mentioned I was looking for it earlier, but, this one is dated and I wrote it in 1994, a full ten years after he’d died, but squarely in the middle of a new career (and geographical) move for me as well as my brother's impending divorce… I do recall that our long talk that night had revealed a number of things to each of us about my Dad that up until that moment, neither of us had realized. I’m really grateful we had that talk.
So here it is… entitled:
When one of my younger brothers had his wife up and leave him, I got to thinking about all that had happened to me in the past few years, how my ‘picture’, you know, the one shrinks all tell us we have (or should have) in our heads, well, mine never seemed to really solidify. It was more like a series of parts of pictures, a collage, one seemingly unrelated to another and I had to grab the one(s) I liked best and try to make them fit.
After having a long and very emotional heart to heart with my brother about the changes in his life, I wrote this next piece…
I’d actually remembered it as a piece I’d written about my Dad’s death, and mentioned I was looking for it earlier, but, this one is dated and I wrote it in 1994, a full ten years after he’d died, but squarely in the middle of a new career (and geographical) move for me as well as my brother's impending divorce… I do recall that our long talk that night had revealed a number of things to each of us about my Dad that up until that moment, neither of us had realized. I’m really grateful we had that talk.
So here it is… entitled:
Jig-saw Puzzle Pieces
(originally written in 1994)
When reality shatters our dreams
Into jigsaw puzzle pieces
Everything gets blurry in that cloud of tears.
Accidents of our youth
Break up our notion of immortality
Images of maturity emerge in the passing years.
Businesses gone bad, jobs gone awry
Picking up the pieces
One by one, building that new day.
Then, Dad died
That picture shattered, like glass it seemed
Painful to pick up, never done, forever in the way.
Traveling, North to South
Friends, loved ones, comfort left behind
Once more I watch as the pieces dangle.
All these opportunities
Take them, or not
Wait, the future just got another angle.
All the people in my life
Each fitting their own puzzle
Again, sweep my pieces to the floor.
Friends and lovers, came and went
The strength of my family
Helped me fit the pieces, find the door.
Life is just this jigsaw puzzle
That becomes the picture
We leave in legacy.
So our loved ones
Can pick up their pieces
Build their dreams, for others to see.
Picking up the pieces
Place the ones that fit
Build your dreams that please.
Holding on
To those that don’t
As cherished memories.
Into jigsaw puzzle pieces
Everything gets blurry in that cloud of tears.
Accidents of our youth
Break up our notion of immortality
Images of maturity emerge in the passing years.
Businesses gone bad, jobs gone awry
Picking up the pieces
One by one, building that new day.
Then, Dad died
That picture shattered, like glass it seemed
Painful to pick up, never done, forever in the way.
Traveling, North to South
Friends, loved ones, comfort left behind
Once more I watch as the pieces dangle.
All these opportunities
Take them, or not
Wait, the future just got another angle.
All the people in my life
Each fitting their own puzzle
Again, sweep my pieces to the floor.
Friends and lovers, came and went
The strength of my family
Helped me fit the pieces, find the door.
Life is just this jigsaw puzzle
That becomes the picture
We leave in legacy.
So our loved ones
Can pick up their pieces
Build their dreams, for others to see.
Picking up the pieces
Place the ones that fit
Build your dreams that please.
Holding on
To those that don’t
As cherished memories.
Well... I think that's it poetry wise for the moment, enough emotional traveling through time for now. As always, comments, suggestions, ideas and critiques are welcome. Thanks for stopping by and reading.
3 comments:
As I writer, I like your poems. Guess what? You've been tagged to write a short one. Go to my blog and see what the rules are. You should be able to come up with a very creative one for this. It's really easy and pretty funny.
That was a very visual poem; I liked it.
Thank you for the continuing comments- you inspired me to write another one after I went "wandering off."
Nic: Thank you.. maybe one of these days I'll actually work up the nerve to try and find a publisher... 'til then I'll see what I can do with whatever you've got cooked up!
Braleigh: As always, thank you... and.. welcome back! I like your work, you capture the 'stuff' we all go through at this time in your life in a very unique way.
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