Enigmatic

heartache plays with absence
tender love meets pain
lingers like a mist at dawn
before the song plays rain

how can simple words impart
what mystifies the mind
some will journey all their lives
the prize they’ll never find

heartache plays with absence
the longing never goes
the river pines its dried up stream
a ghost lives in the flow

Reviews

[Thomas W Case]

There’s a soft ache in this that doesn’t try to resolve itself—it just stays, like that “mist at dawn,” honest and unmoving.
And that last image of the river grieving its own absence… that’s a quiet kind of truth that lingers.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you for your thoughts. You capture the essence of the poem well Thomas. Have a great weekend.

[Desert Knave]

Love all of this, but the last two lines really stand out as their own complete poem. Bravo. ~Jim

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks Jim, pleased you enjoyed this poem. I appreciate your kind thoughts. Have a great weekend.

[Soren]

Missing someone or a time past leaves such a feeling. Well written with great rhyme this poem leaves me melancholy Chris. Nicely done

[Chris Shaw]

It is a melancholy poem Soren, thank you for sharing your thoughts. Happy Saturday to you.

[Soren]

Most welcome Chris

[John the Baptist]

Splendid rhyming and imagery in this one. Yes, tender love can often meet pain, and some will indeed journey all their lives without finding that type of love they feel they must have. The last verse seems to describe these.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks John for sharing your thoughts, have a great weekend.

[Pete]

so true. they say that it makes the heart grow fonder but oh how that emptiness haunts. i've always liked that word 'enigmatic', sounds like it means - puzzling, mysterious. disturbingly said.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks Pete. Enigmatic is a word which covers mysterious to me. Yes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Hope your day has been good and not quite as sweltering as yesterday.

[Pete]

another hot one but beginning to break, can start to feel it now. whew.

[Chris Shaw]

Over here, it’s going from chill to hot over the weekend. It’s our turn for some heat:)

[Andrew John]

It's so good to come to a ballad form again, but I know you write much material in several forms. Longing - ah, we've all experienced it, and this tells that story.

[Chris Shaw]

Hi Andrew, hope you are well. Thank you so much for your thoughts. Pleased you enjoyed this composition. I do try to write in a variety of styles. Have a good weekend.

Chris

[John Sullivan]

Feel this one. Superb writing.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much John. Always good to see you visit. All the best.

Chris

[Lorry]

Words can and do feel small and insufficient when it comes to the internal depth of dialogue the mind forces us to live with, like an unwanted room mate with ADHD and tourrettes at times, when all we really want is to watch from the warmth of a kitchen window the fourteen seasons we had in one weird Easter Sunday morning here. Wind, rain, hail and finally snow , before the skies cleared and sun shone in a very strange day indeed.
If this piece were a song Chris, it would be playing through every season of yesterday with the exception of the last one (sunshine.)

[Chris Shaw]

You certainly had a variety of weather on Easter Day Lorry. Nature is certainly very fickle. We have a much warmer brighter day today. Enjoy the rest of your break and thanks for stopping by.

Chris

[Brandon Houser]

This is wonderful writing Chris. The ghost is in the flow, and the flow is everything. I am saving this in my library. I love it!

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much Brandon. Your encouraging review has given my spirits a lift. So very much appreciated.

Chris