NaPoMo poem #19
This is the nineteenth of the poems I will write this April, in honor of National Poetry Month, as proclaimed by the Academy of American Poets.
This poem is an edited rewrite of an older poem I’d written, but not completed to my satisfaction. Today’s prompt brought such deep feelings flooding into my heart, I was compelled to revisit the draft of this work and bring it to a fitting completion. I am very pleased with how it has turned out.
• NOTE: these poems will all essentially be early drafts, so edits may occur after their initial posting.
I Will Not Forget
(rappelé toujours)
•
the breeze of youth gently stir my soul
days remembered of grace and lightness
when faith in truth sparked splendid dreams
those days of you
when all we touched was fresh and new
and the world was full of wonder
when we were certain we’d live forever
our strength made each day a great adventure
those carefree days
the days we witnessed one for the other
as we made vows to our chosen life mates
raised our children
grew our careers
our families close through these days of joy
but not these days
I’ve grown unyielding
rigidly braced
against the winds of time and fate
my soul is rooted in life’s demands
I search its blessings
curse its burdens
these brittle days
I am bent by the yoke of worry
heavy with the weight of loss
I am haunted by the ghost of memory
the lonely days when I think of you
these empty days
how can this void be filled
when one so vital has departed
this world was denied much wit and wisdom
kindness and love lost
when you passed
how can this void be filled
when one so rich in these is gone
one who understood the need for giving
in a careless world darkened by greed
a tender heart
truly unselfish
whose warm embrace included all
how can this void be filled
when a brilliant light has been snuffed out
I will not forget
I will remember you
and all those days
that’s how I will fill this void
with the seeds of friendship
you planted deep inside my heart
now filled with grief
may they grow to make me gentler
and me — the world a better place
good-bye my friend
ever will I tend these seeds
and think of you
I will not forget
• • •
rob kistner © 2009
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• you can find other NaPoMo offerings at read write poem