WE WERE19, ONCE

In the days

when dreams were

not dreams,

the dark beneath manicured

shrubs in manicured lines

waited almost patiently

for us.

The air we carried

was buoyant and colored

like Jacob’s coat, so we

floated on dreams that were

not dreams.

We did not know the rules,

or that soon we would

see our gnawed fingernails

and the crushed gravel under

our bleeding feet in a wide

tomorrow where the dreams

never were.

Funny how the Rock-N-Roll

still sounds the same, and

we mistake our wings for legs

when we dance to the music

of our dreams that

weren't dreams.

I'm not ready

for this, never was for

much more than the

feel of you, my silver

spoon, so I'll kiss

the feathered hairs at

the nape of your neck and

whisper, "please, my love;

a little longer...

for my dream."

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I was 19 once and didn't really have any dreams at all...I was in a weird limbo unsure of what I wanted to do.
Now, I am fulfilling a dream I should have had back then...teaching for 31 years now...I needed to end up there all along, and never knew it back then...finding a calling rather than a job is keeping a dream a little longer...as you write.
Wonderful write.
j.

[Ms claws]

THIS comment is what I signed on for. J,. I pumped gas, changed tires and worked on cars at Sears Auto which was not what I went to college to do BUT I was HAPPY! Thanks for that!

[Costa Siwale]

Nostalgia is a powerful and strange thing that eternally lingers in the mind. I'm glad you bring out in such a well-penned manner!

[Vol]

Thank you, Costa...
If you don't mind my asking where do you live? I live in Texa, USA

[Costa Siwale]

I live in Zambia, a country in the southern part of Africa. Where the Victoria falls is lol

[Vol]

Costa,
Is it no a marvelous thing thzt you in Zambia, and Me over here can just say hello and enjoy a poem together?
Vol

[Costa Siwale]

Incredibly so! Thank you for reaching out. These are the marvelous things that make life colorful!
I look forward to enjoying more poems together

[Lynda Logan]

The author exhibits an outstanding mastery of language, skillfully merging narrative techniques with deep thematic exploration. The integration of symbolism and imagery not only enriches the story but also encourages readers to explore its underlying meanings. The pacing is finely tuned, creating a narrative that builds tension effectively, while the character development remains complex and convincing.

[GLENDAK]

Hmmm sounds like a failed rendezvous, no?

[Vol]

They have all been failures... except one...

[Vol]

Nah, just 75... Or, maybe a sure sign I've got a lot to do before surgery my surgery... Hardly any time for the sweet distraction of tea with the poets...
Bad Girl, Was your sister in a movie? Bat Girl?
Vol

[GLENDAK]

You're funny. I adored the final stanza. Of course.

[John the Baptist]

Sounds like the memory of something that was once good and then wasn't. When we're 19 we are still learning the rules and sometimes education can be painful. The regret can linger. Hence this.

[Vol]

John,
It is rather interesting that any of us survived those times, our brains were still sucklings with four more years to maturity...
Vol

[Ms claws]

Hi Vol.
I wish you would post your poetry you posted on Facebook.
Reading that gave me warm rushes throughout my body.
This one is good but sounds a lot like many others you've written.
Post that poem! Post that poem!

[.]

I'm still 19 and this made me smile.
"Funny how the Rock-N-Roll
still sounds the same, " ahaha. I love that whole stanza. And the last stanza is so sweet. Flows.