I Knew

 

When you would
no longer
rouse
to my embrace

I knew

when you would
no longer
look
into my eyes

I knew

 

 

when I laid
the precious pearls
of my private heart
at your feet

and you just
stepped through them
never reaching to touch

I knew

when you could
no longer
speak softly
my name

when you could
no longer
smile tenderly
at my touch

or rest your head
upon my shoulder

I knew

there would be
no more
whispered love

our forever
was forever gone

I knew
then for certain

you
were lost to me

 

 

never again
will we
walk our rose garden

dreaming
so high above the clouds

nor sharing
the magic of the moon

your love
has turned a blank face

never again
will we
drink deeply
passion’s wine

nor taste sweet love
upon our lips

I know

you
are lost to me

clearly I see
my heart
must let it be

you’re lost to me

*
rob kistner © 2022

Poetry at: The Sunday Muse

Poetry at: Poets & Storytellers

 

34 thoughts on “I Knew”

  1. This is a heartbreaking poem – sigh – “I knew” the signs were all there
    the pearls laid at the feet just made me weep. So sad when the “knowing” happens that love has gone a way. This opens a wound inside of me. Now, I feel my muse screaming in verse.

    Wishing you a wonderful day, my friend

  2. Love the clever way of having all images accounted for at one go. You showed again your finesse in your write. Certainly enjoyed the read, Rob!

    Hank

  3. “when I laid
    the precious pearls
    of my private heart
    at your feet

    and you just
    stepped through them
    never taking them
    to your breast”

    That is absolutely stunning and heartbreaking.

    Part of love is ebb and flow. Letting go to hold on is so essential.

  4. So sad, a beautiful poetic interpretation of the three photos, deep feelings of loss … of the never ever again.

    1. Thank you Helen. You probably realize by now, I am drawn to the heartbreak song… 🙂 I should have gotten into country music as I got older, my singing career may have lasted longer… 😉

    1. I am fascinated by melancholia Carrie, always have been — since childhood. Sometimes I enjoy the feeling as much as I enjoy feeling happy. That’s what attracts me to writing about sadness and longing. I feel it is a deeper, and a bit darker, than happiness — and perhaps a more complex human emotion.

  5. Comes a time when romance is kaput. Question then, will the love endure? Happens often when aging destroys beauty.
    Good use of the illustrations today.
    ..

    1. Thank you Jim. Exactly my friend. Too often compounded with blame, resentment, and open ridicule — resulting in sorrow and bitterness… sadly sometimes for years, if there exists “fear of leaving”, sparked by finances or another debilitating circumstance, such as children, age or, physical insecurity. I am always curious to know what percentage of ongoing relationships are based on ‘love’, as compared to mutual toleration, or succumbing to emotional exhaustion. And of those of professed or seeming enduring “love”, wonder how many enjoy truly ‘enriching love’, or settle for better-than-the-alternative ‘love’… namely, a ‘clinging-to’ as compared to the experience of prolonged loneliness? Hmmm? Love is an eternal question of complexity. The genuine article of love is damned difficult to find, and even fucking harder to maintain. Perhaps the imprinted love for a child, and inversely, a parent, is the only authentic love. Adult to adult love, sparked by dopamine, snd fueled by endorphins, is a period with an expiration date — whatever that date may be for each of the partners… and it is never the same date. Survival, protection, and entangled financial situations keep some relationships moving forward. Also, there are “self-focused” reasons why people choose to remain in a relationship – because of the time, resources and emotions they’ve invested in it, or because they don’t have good alternatives – but the research shows they also make “pro-social” altruistic decisions to stay because they feel their mates are committed. These “self-focused” and “pro- social” love relatiobshipd are wrought with dichotomies and “catch 22’s”. IMHO, the purely altruistic love that exists and sustains, outside the child/parent bond, can only be consistently found in poetry, song, novels, and movies. We have a deep longing for “true love”, even knowing the odds are stacked high against us. In the arena of love, courage and wishful thinking far outweighs logic — but that is why the concept of “true love” is so compelling and addictive. We always want the difficult or impossible to attain. The concept of “true sustaining adult love” is a beautiful human dream. That is why we are fascinated by it, and spend billions of dollars in a myriad of industries promising, or related to true love. Many of us even experience it, or have convinced ourselves thusly, for some portion ofour lives. Its fleetingness is its attraction. Like Robert Palmer proclaimed musically, “we are addicted to (true) love”. And given the pain, the struggles, the disappointments, the regrets, the lies, the evil, and the impossibilities of life — ain’t it great!! 🙂 …any poetry or other fiction, written or creatively enacted, spotlighting the pursuit of, realization of, or the sad loss of “true love” — is wonderful! To me, writing about “true love”, found or lost, is as exciting and wondrous as writing Science Fiction — and just as realistic.

      1. Your passage reinforces my belief that sustaining the inner child is the key to loving as an adult. Also, I think the innate craving to control each other is what smothers, harms, and extinguishes love.

      1. It’s always thus …. Though the reality hits hard we still take time to realise and may be it’s our hopes and dreams that carry us further than the fate . Beautiful poem

    1. In the end JR, every failed relationship has a “leaver” and a “left” — though the reason(s) why are never quite so clear-cut, nor one-sided. The worst failed relationship ends in “mutual toleration”, marked by fear/uncertainty of trying again, and abiding resentment — sometimes not so veiled.

    1. It is the forlorn refrain of the lover left behind in the relationship — who could feel each retreating step in the period of the end-time, but was powerless to prevent the lover’s slipping away… until finally the realization and sad surrender to reality. 🙁

  6. Letting go every bit of painful as the heartbreaking recognition that love is lost – you are a master at expressing a broken heart, Rob.

  7. I love the way this flowed together. You seamlessly used the images to fit lost love. Beautiful, Rob!

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