Transformation

A glance into my own life..

Days turn to lives
And years into yellowish, brown leaves.
Time can take a full stop when it wants
At some old, familiar places
Where we no longer live.

On a depressing and misapprehended afternoon
Invisible crows bark and Unknown birds squeak.
Lost, long familiar noons each as similar as the other
Were lived here in peace and futuristic search.

Baudelaire and Steinbeck are companions today
With the wonderfully smart Mac.
Their were days when I had no Mac's or
even dreams of owning one.
Poetry was a jumble of words
Only to read after intellectual stimulations
When smart friends were around.
Times when Isla Negra did not mean Black Island to me
and Neruda was a name and a book in father's book shelf.

Oh how I miss those ancient days,
When morning coffee was served by mom.
Dad used to hide beneath newspapers
but still managed to introduce me
To the world of Camus & Kafka.
Human Psychology was a household world
And my girlfriend could be one of my crushes.
Ever loving and caring sister always used to be around
With her stoic madness and insolent whimpers.

Today I sit here and endure the bites of the resilient mosquitoes
And ruminate about the past.
What all things I had but never realized
How even monotonous could be a favorite word.
Of how even a pillow and a blanket
Could remind you of the sunny past.

Perhaps I had not seen the world.
Perhaps I had not known you as much.
Perhaps I had not written my first line of verse.
Perhaps Life had not been mean as such.

Everything today is a continuum of the past.
Familiar sound and familiar touches.
I am getting back into the exoskeleton
Of my half million year old past.

© Nothing Personal. December 29, 2010.

Author's Note

I have used the word "past" multiple times, deliberately. The last line of the fourth stanza is oxymoronic in its sense, it means the opposite to emphasize the emotion. "Isla Negra" is a collection of poems by Pablo Neruda.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

The poem is a trip to my past too. Those old memories of comfort in a warm house with a dear Grandmother taking care of me and sister. Age teaches us to be thankful for all the kind people in a life. I like the story you weaved in your words. Thank you for the outstanding poem.
Coyote

[KAREN]

This is wonderful! thinking, day dreaming about the past can either bring joy or pain, maybe both! your poem makes people think of happier days!

[Dream Slave]

The day memories are too heavy to carry, is the day we stop living. Sad to know that most of us instead of looking up to a brighter future, look up to an innocent past where we were joyful and careless... Such memories are just that... and we will never be able to go back.

[Just Cat]

A very thoughtful and melancholic piece.
Nice insight, good work
:)

[Jennifer Lenhardt]

Perhaps I had not seen the world.
Perhaps I had not known you as much.
Perhaps I had not written my first line of verse.
Perhaps Life had not been mean as such.

favorite stanza... and loved this piece - like a long walk through meandering thoughts.

[.]

. to reach ... the emotions of the reader ... is something that you brilliantly do ... you narrate well ... you express poetically ... yet inspiration eludes you ... it's almost as if it's transient and momentary, even when it's there ... i wonder why ... transformation doesn't sound like transformation ... but transformation IS ... that's why the word exists ... may you find it in the new year ... may you find lasting inspiration and may it find you ...

[Cynthia]

I agree with Amy as well, you did a wonderful job writing this poem! A nice reflection od life, and it's truly easy to relate with!

[Laha]

I agree with Amy. I was caught up in this poem. I think it's because as you move through your life, the reader tries to relate. For instance when you said, "coffee served by mom"..I thought of a similar scene in my house when I was growing up. I very much like how you ended the poem, very deliberate and clear. A short story with rhythm. Easy to read, very nicely done.

[Amy Vaughn]

I like the repetition of "perhaps." It came across strong. The flow of the poem was great, too - I found myself caught up in it.

[MuSe Ampoule]

I savored every tidbit of this...brilliant work. It's one of my new favorites.

[George Love]

Easy to read, and you crafted this quite well into a nostagic bit of poetry. Well done.