The Woman Who Never Was

I’d seen her coming and going for

A couple of years or more,

Her hair in the wind was blowing

Every time she walked on the shore,

I must admit I was taken in

By her eyes and her lips of gloss,

She made me think of imagined sin

The woman who never was.

She wore the flimsiest blouses that

Were loose, and tied at the waist,

And lived in one of those houses they

Put up in the new estate.

She seemed to delight in teasing me

By wearing her skirts so high,

The slightest gust from a breeze would free

A glimpse of a naked thigh.

She never actually spoke to me

But she’d raise a brow my way,

While I hung over the garden gate

Thinking of what to say, 

And soon it became a ritual

She’d pass in the early hours,

Then come again in the afternoon

With her basket full of flowers.

In time I noticed a subtle change

In the way she wore her hair,

She started to pin it back, and then

It didn’t seem so fair.

The eyes that had used to tantalise

Became harder, and the gloss

Was fading out on the ruby lips

Of the woman who never was.

I thought I was slowly losing her

But just a little each day,

Nothing would stay the same, I saw

Her slowly fading away,

I said to a friend, ‘What’s happening,

I have this sense of loss,’

And he replied she was trapped inside,

The woman who never was.

‘She doesn’t really exist you know,

It’s better you let her free,

You’ve compromised and idealised

Till she thinks, ‘I can’t be me.’

She may just show if you let her go,

If you don’t, you’ll count the loss,

She’ll stay forever inside you then

The woman who never was.’

I switched her off and I walked the shore,

Went up to the new estate,

Then held my breath and knocked at her door

And I said, ‘I know I’m late.’

She looked at me and she smiled, you see,

And she said, ‘My name is Roz,

It’s been so long I was feeling wrong

Like the woman who never was.’

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Lady Lola]

I really enjoy this poem; it's well written and has a beautiful flow.
It's talking about a subject of contemplation of mine. I think it's best to confront your fantasies and try to make them a reality, even if they turn out to be different from what you have visualised. I often fear that fantasising about a person might actually dehumanise or distort your image of them. You turn them into this artificial, idealised being instead of finding out who they really are.

[Barbz]

This is a very beautiful and touching poem. You have touched both main characters with sadness and wonder. A fine, sensitive and pleasant read. It whets your appetite for similar scenarios. Magical and poignant . You never fail your followers...for this we thank you...Barbz

[Lena M. P.]

Enjoyed this one David. Light, whimsical with just a bit of goth.