Even a poor maiden can gaze at
a shining knight.
You walked in the door,
smile gleaming in candleglow;
my heart stopped
for a moment,
and then began again,
forever altered.
Not then, but later,
you gazed back,
and we knew joy.
But we were human,
full of fear and history/herstory.
We lost our way.
Yet, looking back,
I remember summer days,
the beauty of your gaze,
the fullness of my heart;
the love we shared was true.
The song we sang, unfinished,
reverberates through the years.
It was too short,
but how sweet it was
the while we sang.
Only you, in my long life,
stirred such feelings,
so I have been long alone.
However, all must be endured,
for those brief, shining moments,
when even this poor maiden
dared gaze at a shining knight,
and he gazed back
gazed back
gazed back.
For Sanaa's Wild Friday at Poets United: to use the incomplete ending of Sappho's poem and create our own poem.
On my heart! This is incredibly evocative, Sherry!💖 I love the hint of ache, longing, romance and recollection in; "The song we sang, unfinished,
ReplyDeletereverberates through the years." And that closing .. just left me in awe. Love is powerful and can definitely alter the spirit in so many ways! Thank you so much for writing to the prompt💖💖
*Oh my heart*.. typing error😊
DeleteI am sure many of us have had such feelings. well I know I have. However that is life, getting experience through love and loss but learning so much about life at the same time. This really is a beautiful poem Sherry.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you expressed your longing and how the ending felt like a song~ There is a haunting feel of how memories echo and ripple throughout our soul!
ReplyDeleteSherry, have you been peeking into my life history book? I believe this indeed happens in most young folks' lives. A few last but most die out. Could this be partially from your memory? {-:)
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Forgot to say how much I enjoyed reading here today. I relived just a little.
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Oh it is true, every word, Jim. Smiles.
DeleteThe heart ache and longing so deeply touches the core. You've captivated Love as song, beauty and joy so beautifully. It's never lost as it stays forever as a happy memory.
ReplyDeleteSherry, this is so beautiful and poignant. The longing is palpable.
ReplyDeleteI love the bitter sweet reaching back through time with adoration that remains every present. Really lovely.
ReplyDeleteAh, the love of the knight can be bittersweet, indeed. Lovely writing.
ReplyDeleteIndeed! Life isn't always perfect, but... the perfect moments--even if it's just one--can certainly carry us through the storm.
ReplyDelete". . . for those brief, shining moments . . .' They say it is better to have loved and lost than never ... and I think that is true, for the memory, as you record hear is a warm delight even in an otherwise lonely life. Who would settle for less than the shining moments you knew?
ReplyDeleteI had connection problems at the time, so my comment didn't appear here – as I have just realised. It's a beautiful poem, and re-reading was a pleasure.
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