The RetroLounge Daily Poem Thread (Wed 9/20/06)

[RetroLounge]

On Faith

How do people stay true to each other?
When I think of my parents all those years
in the unmade bed of their marriage, not ever
longing for anything else—or: no, they must
have longed; there must have been flickerings,
stray desires, nights she turned from him,
sleepless, and wept, nights he rose silently,
smoked in the dark, nights that nest of breath
and tangled limbs must have seemed
not enough. But it was. Or they just
held on. A gift, perhaps, I've tossed out,
having been always too willing to fly
to the next love, the next and the next, certain
nothing was really mine, certain nothing
would ever last. So faith hits me late, if at all;
faith that this latest love won't end, or ends
in the shapeless sleep of death. But faith is hard.
When he turns his back to me now, I think:
disappear . I think: not what I want . I think
of my mother lying awake in those arms
that could crush her. That could have. Did not.

Cecilia Woloch

*******************

RL

If you have a request for a certain Poet, post their name in the thread and I will find a poem by them and post it...

if you want to see some of my poetry, see the blog at:
http://www.myspace.com/retropaul

[Callalily]

1. What a melancholy poem!

It's really difficult to have faith when one's been royally screwed over.

Sad, sad poem RL . . . or maybe it just makes me sad!

:hi:

[RetroLounge]

5. yes it is sad to me also...

:hug:

RL

[miss_american_pie]

2. ...

:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. My dear RetroLounge.......

How do people stay true to each other?

This is a beautiful poem, and I know a number of folks who would do well to consider this question.........

Myself included, of course.......

I really enjoyed seeing this question dissected today.......

Thank you.......:hug:

[speedoo]

4. Thanks RL.

Poignant and beautiful. And thought provoking.