A Yesteryear Beckoning

Dreams. Hallucinations. Longings.

 

If I could I would

Find us a blue house

Something shaded and settled

By the river or forest deep

Somewhere you could be music

And I could be words

Without intrusion or doubt

Front porch Springs

And winter snows spent

In songs and strings

 

If I could I would bring you

Tranquility

Pressed in flowers and sacred memories

My hands would show you all the lost moments

The twist and dance of whirligigs

Caught in the wind

As it lifts us skyward

 

A quiet place

A broad porch to catch the

Barest breeze in summer

The sound of your guitar drifting

Across the water as evening falls

 

I cannot go back to my

Sometimes dreams

Rip the roots from my past

And plant them in summer soil

I cannot build bridges

To non-existent lands

All I know of you

Is how you could not grow

And I am the forgotten one

Who wanders now

Without home

Or hope

 

 

If I could I would

Lie beside you

The evening hum of

Noise and sigh

Fading into the beating

Of two hearts in rhythm

There would be a time

And place made of the

Words of you and me

 

Instead of the ache

Of loneliness

Moving in when

Dreams fade

 

-Zoe Richardson (2025)

Author's Note

Grief is like a quiver of arrows. They aren't fired all at once but when they hit home, they sting!

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

And I am the forgotten one
Who wanders now
Without home
or hope

Those lines dear Zoe, pierce the reader’s heart. A beautiful and moving account of how grief and loss can hurt like hell. So good to read you again. It’s been a while.

Chris

[Zoe Richardson]

It's been too long. I've been caring for my elderly mother and it consumes a lot of my time. She is in moderately good health but at 95 that can change on a dime! Thank you for letting me know I was missed and for really "getting" this poem.

[Desert Knave]

The lines "All I know of you / Is how you could not grow" really speak to me of two souls going in different directions. Nicely done. ~Jim

[Zoe Richardson]

Two souls passing in a dream. In life. I am so glad you liked this and appreciate you taking the time to read.

[emmajoygreen]

They certainly do. Your poem is greater than the sum of letters in it!

' If I could I would
Find us a blue house
Something shaded and settled
By the river or forest deep
Somewhere you could be music
And I could be words
Without intrusion or doubt
Front porch Springs
And winter snows spent
In songs and strings'

What a beautiful and magical poem! It trips your page to my screen and creates a special feel and thought on every line!

[Zoe Richardson]

Thank you! It all happened in a dream and when I woke up, only the wisps of the happiness lingered. It's good to know I captured it and that it reaches my readers!