An Old Love

We never forget the ones we loved

If the feeling was strong and true,

No matter what happened, the push and shove

That separates me from you,

And those who came after, who took your place

Will never extinguish the spark,

That sits in the memory’s starkest place

After making new love in the dark.

 

For an old love’s more than a pretty face,

It’s more than a bunch of sighs,

It’s more than a fragile cobweb’s grace

That recalls the look in your eyes,

It sits together with faded youth

We recall on our darkest nights,

The pain, obsession, the laughter too

As the mirror of memory lights.

 

The further down we push it away

It comes when we least expect,

Bustling in from our salad days

With a feeling of sad neglect,

How did it stutter and how did it fail

Is the question that meets our eyes,

And then we remember the truth of it,

Our false and our feeble lies.

 

Whatever possessed us to stray back then

We made up the perfect two,

But you would get angry with me, my love,

And I would get angry with you,

So our footsteps strayed and we lost the way

To find our way home again,

I’d be with girls that I didn’t know

And you’d be with other men.

 

But we’re still back there in the years that fled

And we’ll be together again,

When people talk of the life we led

In that time of way back when,

There are certain times in my history

That I see as a strange purview,

When I was entranced by your mystery,

And you were just simply you.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Marie]

I cannot relate to this poem, because my paths have not led me to this sort of introspection. My first husband, from whom I was divorced, is still alive. My other two husbands, whom I loved dearly, died. My other relationships have been trainwrecks. I have not that kind of nostalgia.

[Vishuddha]

Wonderfully thoughtful and wise. Full of truths. Anger comes and goes but lies never go away and will kill love every time.

[ANTO]

I loved the personification of 'Old Love' and 'Faded Youth' - the thought of them sitting talking about old times. Brilliant.
This is a gorgeous piece of nostalgia and bitter-sweet romantic writing David, just simply gorgeous.
Thank you for sharing this with us my friend. :))

[A Soap Mess Stories]

A great poem of lost love. . .great writing DLP. . .

[Bright Ocean Star]

This one is very introspective, my friend. I'm used to some surprise knock me 'ween the eyes joke toward the end, but this one was very good and felt right. Thank you for sharing it with us...:)

[R Smith]

nice thoughts of days gone by David, I know how they can still hurt, at the very least bring feelings of melancholy, your poem took me back to long ago and sometimes its a nice place to go, thank you :)

[Leviathus Fortes]

Old love never dies.

We hold them in our heart and never let them go.

[Barbz]

Nostalgic thoughts of yesterday, of love that once we knew, can cause a spark that comes to light', when it was me and you. The visions and the memories, seem not to go away, even the mistakes we made, that caused the need to stray.
In time, we find another love, perhaps not quite as true, does not dissolve the pull I feel, that drew my heart to you. Sentiments remain in tact, as the years go bye. And they ignite the sparks of love, the love of time gone bye. I was taken by this poem, and see the soft side of you...thank you for a lovely read.

[Valentine]

For some, they forget the one's they wish to remember but remember the ones they wish to forget. Like an abusive or a cheating spouse. Kathie

[MomzillaNC]

David, what a wonderful tribute to all old loves. This one is tinged with a rather pleasing, wistful melancholy, but never maudlin. It's beautiful and touchingly romantic.