The Last Warm Day

Something like a pause,

Realization that it had passed--

The last warm day.

Nothing particular brought it to mind.

The gray was always there

A coolness in the wind, now for some days.

And somehow overlooked

Lost in school or work or play

My heart drops as I can't remember

That last warm day.

But even sooner than this,

While the sun still shone for you

And the stars still burned for you, it came--

Your last warm day.

We always knew the Fall was coming

We even count the days.

Yet all the knowledge of our years never stopped the cold.

"Are you ok?", just nod and smile.

But we know Winter is setting in

And it will be this way for a while.

-J. Tabithia

I wrote this back in October when I was going through a lot. Came across it again today and thought I would post it on my blog. 

An Update, Finally...

The elusive game--
Play of light,
Shimmering veneer.

The feigned cunning--
Sleight of hand,
Child-hands grasping.

The exciting chase--
Hint of shadow,
Slippery escape.

The resigned defeat--
Shock of loss,
Cold retreat.

Well, it's been a while since my last post. But here it is. I wrote this poem this very night. Usually I'm not one to "explain" my poetry, but I had a very specific picture in my mind when I wrote this to which I believe a lot of people will be able to relate.  

I remember a time when, as a child, my family and I visited a park with a shallow pond of water. Just beneath the surface I saw tadpoles darting around and wanted to catch one so bad. I spent what seemed hours sloshing around in the water trying to catch one and did not even realize the amount of time I wasted doing so until my parents called me out so we could leave. I remember my disappointment that I had not only failed to catch one but also spent all of my time chasing after the silly things and didn't really notice anything else about the park around me! So tonight I had been thinking about the things that are important in my life right now. Some of which are things I want and know I can't have but have stubbornly continued to chase after anyways. It made me think of the innocent carelessness of my childhood and how things had seemed to become so much more complex than they used to be. The similarity of my actions in that seemingly nonchalant moment in my childhood and my situation now made me laugh. Hopefully it will do the same for you.

So I'm sure you can fill in the blanks with your own experiences- whatever they be. Sometimes, you gotta let the tadpoles be and enjoy what you already have.

More Poetry...

These are my most recent pieces. They are much shorter and I have enjoyed discovering the technique of saying everything I need in only a few lines. The second of the two I wrote just yesterday while sitting on my front porch enjoying the warmth of the sun and the perfume of hyacinths in our front garden. I truly hope my readers can take something from these pieces.
This picture is another one I took. It is a rose that has only partially opened and has not yet had the chance to fully bloom. Once again, I felt this picture reflected some elements within these poems.


------------------

I'd say I lost you,
But I never had you
--Instead I lost myself.

---------------------

As a child you were told
Of the piece of silver worth a hundred gold;
More the pain of losing you
Than the thousand souls I never knew.

Poem from September of 2009

      

This is one of mine. I wrote it last year while going through a lot of difficult things. This is the longest piece I've written. Feel free to comment your thoughts and opinions. I am sure I'm not the only one to feel something like this.

FYI: This orchid is a picture I took while vacationing in the mountains of Bannor Elk, North Carolina. The orchid, much like the rose, is considered a symbol of love. The darker, mysterial colors seemed to fit this particular work.

Two daggers to my soul!

Thrust so carelessly without thought

Or count for cost.

Laughingly tossed aside

If only to tease and return again.

Ah! how the light plays on those twin blades

As they feint and dance.

Seeking, finding

Mine own checked and safely kept askance.

Eden! what light is this

That captivates my every thought

Without room for breath.

Forbidden fruit? Hardly so sweet

As one might think.

Eat, and succumb to soul's certain death.

For where such warmth might lead

I feel a certain dread;

For every dream I fabricate

I pull a darkened thread.

The fabric of my dreams undone

Surrenders at the seams.

And hands of lead weave quietly

Weeping for what no one sees.

Threads wanting of even loss

Withdrawn to shape my veil.

Shelter found, dark and cold

Hiding that which I cannot hold.

You there, and I here

Walking along the line

Separating us from

Everything that we must never find.

The shadows cast--

Is all we have

Yet priceless treasure still.

This dubious cup I drink deep--

Forced to find my fill.

Yet if that light were poison to me

Then darkness must be my shield.

And so the hated veil once loathed

Proves sole weapon left to wield.

I dare not forsake my armour

Lets sudden light leave me blinded

-- And stumbling,

I find myself a fool.