One Hour...and Nine Years

ahead of me - always a step,

a phrase, a quick-witted-quip -

my fingertips barely brush you

              before you are gone

 

last night you reminded me

of the distance between us

              zones, hours, years

              almost an entire generation

and I wondered if that was the reason

(an answer to a gnawing suspicion)

why keeping up with you is like

catching the ocean in a tea-cup

 

one hour and nine years

but I still want you next to me -

to savor the salve of your hands

to touch the tattered edges of you

 

because we are a story

that has already begun

and everyone knows that

abandoning a tale before its end

              is a crime for which

              there is no redemption

Reviews

[Jo R.]

This really hit me! The phrase: why keeping up with you is like "catching the ocean in a tea-cup" at once set me adrift in my own longing for lost relationships. I too agree that the last stanza is superb! This piece flows through the emotions of longing....well done and thanks!

[CD Campbell]

I must say that I was particularly touched by the last stanza, but think the whole work was grand. I'm always looking at a poem and I love how they look when you stand back and the words become blurred and unreadable, how each blocky stanza looks and how they tie themselves together. I like how this looks and also how it feels when it rolls off the tongue. Great work. CD

[Ken Simm.]

I found this heart breaking. Although it could be said that age does not matter in a relationship the very fact that it is mentioned means that it is. Having said that this is a finely tuned, beautifully excecuted piece with concepts, (such as one hour and nine years not the other way around) that I envy if truth be told.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

age is often irrelevant---but certainly relative...

older, younger...we simply fall for whom we do---years, hours, days don't really dictate.

excellent poem--- i have been in love with women older than i...but also women several years younger.

but we felt the same age...relative to the feelings.

related to this...

[Ara Mosby]

You are so right...age is relative and yet still irrelevant when it comes to matters of the heart.

[Papaya]

I once loved a man who was much older than me, this reminds me of him
(well, I still do love him actually, I never stopped)
You've described this feeling so wonderfully.

[Ara Mosby]

I'm so glad you enjoyed this one...it's very personal to me.

[Coyote Poetry]

Yes I do agree.
"because we are a story
that has already begun
and everyone knows that
abandoning a tale before its end
is a crime for which
there is no redemption"
The above lines. True wisdom. What we didn't do, haunt us more than the things we did. Thank you Ara for sharing the excellent poetry.
Coyote

[Ara Mosby]

Thank you so much!

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome Ara.

[Christopher Miller]

"savor the salve of your hands" is a beautiful line, the best part of the poem for me. It's thought provoking as well, in that it begs the question of what defines the end to a story. There's no true answer, some relationships run their natural course and people still chase them past their expiration. At the same time, for people to give up once the actual story starts (protagonists need to encounter difficulty or there is no story) is an all too common occurrence.

[Ara Mosby]

Many thanks!

[Einstein Noodle]

easy flow to the words ..i feel the heaviness of the romance and that frustration of something unfinished ..can only change ones self eh!? :( well done says i! very emotive for me
E.

[Ara Mosby]

Thank you so much, that means a lot to me!