She was last seen leaving the beach,
in those long-ago days -
in those long-ago days -
that high-hearted girl, so appealing
with her wispy hair and bizarre costumes,
eyes dark with kohl and goofy with misplaced hope:
sweet as a rose, trembling,
on a dubious journey
on a dubious journey
following sparks she dreamed
would turn into love,
would turn into love,
but never did.
Where is she now, that tender-hearted girl?
Has she been cured of her longing to be seen,
to be wanted, to be loved?
Did all of that pining turn into a millstone,
hope into responsibility?
Did her fast-talking amour stay just long enough
to leave her
to leave her
with a string of children
to raise alone?
to raise alone?
The evidence is in: her eyes are bare now,
and honest. They invite no one in.
for Shay's Word List:
https://fireblossom-wordgarden.blogspot.com/2024/05/word-garden-word-list-last-seen-leaving.html
Not sure who this woman is, but I recognize the honest eyes. Most of us older women wear them.
Scratch a cynic, find a romantic. Her story sounds a lot like yours, Sherry. However, I can't imagine you as a cynic.
ReplyDeleteNo, am not a cynic, I'm a died in the wool romantic - just didn't know how to find it in my own life.
Delete"her eyes are bare now, and honest. They invite no one in." - Oooh! What a solid punch to end with. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThe young person in us never changes - to look through the world with eyes of wonder. - Life is there for living.
ReplyDeleteThat "high-hearted girl" may be MIA but somehow lives on in these beautiful lines, hidden from eyes but not, I think, those who knew/know her.
ReplyDeleteKnockout ending on this, Sherry.
ReplyDeleteI like the portrait you paint of her in that opening stanza. It is sad to think of the love she wanted not materializing for her. This is a moving poem, Sherry!
ReplyDelete