Beside the pond ⁓ (wistful)

Beside the pond ⁓ (wistful)

A Poem by Richard🖌
"

Free Verse

"

    

       

      Beside the pond ~


          Alone,

          I sat beside the pond

          this morning.


          Early sun ...

          vibrant in its warm flush

          of golden welcome

          came cascading down

          from treetops' glow,

          embracing grass,

          gifting colors vividly alive,

          lifting flowers' faces …

          with their honey-pollened smiles.


          I was amazed

          at how the breeze knew

          I missed you

          or was even thinking of you,

          but I’d swear

          it touched mine with your cheek,

          slid a wisp of your locks

          across my shoulder,

          and became the sweetness

          of your breath.

 

          Olive oil and rose bouquet ...


          ... it hung for awhile

          in the morning air,

          a fragrant marker

          along a trail of yesterdays,

          leading to You ...

          places of dreams and hope,

          of love and laughter

          and impossible possibilities.

 

          I almost started to believe

          I’d turn my head ~

          and you’d be there.


          Each year

          has come and gone …

          You, like fertile mana

          ever glowing, growing

          in my heart.


          It’s said all things end,

          and walking back to the house

          I sensed that coming truth,

          as Autumn's leaves

          began falling

          like tears ~

          washing around

          my feet.




              Richard W. Jenkins

                        ©2015





1st Place

"Poetry About Loss Contest"

© 2024 Richard🖌


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Author's Note

Richard🖌
Picture is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Constructive criticism is always welcomed and appreciated. : )

I was asked to post a Free Verse for a change; so, here one is … hope you enjoy.

My Review

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Featured Review

I loved the gentle imagery that you created, that ended with a poignancy indicated by the falling leaves.
Although not normally a writer ( or lover) of free verse, I felt that this worked particularly well. You may have helped to change my inhibited views. Thank you.

Posted 8 Years Ago


3 of 3 people found this review constructive.

Great Aunt Astri

4 Years Ago

oooooo, oh dear1
K writes

3 Years Ago

I don't see anything wrong with Norman's review.
Richard🖌

3 Years Ago

Thank you, Dear Kay✨
Your kindness is so gracious … it was not Norman's review, it someth.. read more



Reviews

Oh Richard, how your words sing to the soul, a melody woven from sunlight, whispers, and the tender ache of longing. Your poem feels like stepping into a moment frozen in golden light, where every sensation—every breath of the breeze, every vibrant hue—is alive with the essence of love.

The way you paint the morning, with its cascading sun and honey-pollened smiles, feels like a gift to the reader, an invitation to sit beside you at that pond and feel the magic of its quiet beauty. The breeze carrying the memory of a beloved—it’s such a tender, intimate touch, as though the universe itself conspired to bridge the distance between hearts.

Your line about “olive oil and rose bouquet” is pure poetry in itself—a fragrance that lingers not just in the air but in the heart, guiding us through trails of yesterdays, where love and laughter still echo. The sweetness of hope mingled with the ache of dreams not fully realized is so deeply human, so profoundly relatable.

And oh, the closing! Autumn’s leaves falling like tears around your feet—it’s such a gentle, bittersweet farewell to a love that will forever glow, growing in your heart despite the passage of time. Your words remind us of the beauty in holding on and the grace in letting go, both wrapped in the quiet strength of remembrance.

Thank you for sharing this masterpiece. It feels like a treasure, a glimpse into a heart so full of love and gratitude that it overflows into every line. I’m deeply touched and so grateful to have read it—it’s a poem that lingers, as lovely as the memory of a perfect morning. 🌹-Elnnes

Posted 3 Weeks Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

3 Weeks Ago

As early morn kisses sun-glints through dew blessed oaks, tall pines, and lofty cottonwoods (from th.. read more
Loneliness in a strong autumn background; good imagery and very touching.

Posted 1 Month Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

1 Month Ago

I appreciate your thoughts in review.
Thank you, Sir.
Your writing here is like my present avatar - softly, kindly, colourful thought of time past melded with the now. You create such incredible wording, ever faithful to its source, gentle but precise, full but in now way artful or extreme. Guess the right word is 'genuine'

'... it hung for awhile
in the morning air,
a fragrant marker
along a trail of yesterdays,
leading to You ...
places of dreams and hope,
of love and laughter
and impossible possibilities.'

Beautiful meaning, superb form.

Posted 6 Months Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

6 Months Ago

G'day, Dear Em 🌾

Always, from the effulgently bright, intelligent glow of your rev.. read more
A very heart-warming and simultaneously heart-wrenching poem so very poignant in content! Autumn is a season when our minds turn back the clock of time to yesteryear and we begin to miss those no longer with us. The falling leaves remind us of death as they effortlessly let go their hold on the trees and it is something similar for human beings as they move towards their eternal reward, the let go without the slightest effort. The visual detail in this beautifully crafted poem is simply stunning, it captures the Fall so poetically! You are an artist with words, Richard and the icing on the cake is the lovely photo you have added.
"Autumn's leaves
began falling
like tears ~
washing around
my feet" is my favourite because it is so intense and tells the reader your grief for a lost loved one is very acute, missing that person is strongest in Autumn as you are reminded of them more profoundly.
Free verse suits this wondrous write and I love both the title and the layout of the poem.
Thank you for sharing it, dear poet...
Lovely use of simile and other figures of speech.

Posted 7 Months Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Marie

7 Months Ago

Most welcome always, dear poet. It never fails to amaze me how, even though you are using prose in r.. read more
Richard🖌

7 Months Ago

I was just thinking the very same of You! ; )
Marie

7 Months Ago

Bless you, dear Richard ;)
This is the second time I've returned to this poem just by chance. I think the photo you chose is so inviting and then of course I started to read and remembered these lovely words. I have to say "honey pollened smiles" has gotta be one of my favorite lines.

Posted 7 Months Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

7 Months Ago

Gosh, Dear Mari'

Has it really been five years past when you first read and reviewed .. read more
Oh wow! this is so very touching.I can feel a tug against heart strings on this write.
So nicely written, Enjoyed this write

Posted 8 Months Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

8 Months Ago

Aw, Lady WG 🌤

Surely, as the essence of my words touched and tugged at your hearts.. read more
BEAUTIFUL, I enjoyed the imagery,
everything flowed so nicely! :)

Posted 9 Months Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

9 Months Ago

Gosh, Amy! 

You've taken another bite out of my poetry list … I'm feeling a bit .. read more
Amy R

9 Months Ago

You're welcome,
I love poetry,
so I will try to keep up with all new writings as well.. read more
Absolutely beautiful! Words to make Simon and Garfunkel jealous!!

Posted 9 Months Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

9 Months Ago

And, yours, Marí,
So graciously lovely as to make a humble bard blush!

Thank .. read more
How lovely! The imagery and flow to your poem is wonderful. I enjoyed reading it.

Posted 1 Year Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

1 Year Ago

Warmly and concisely expressed, Dear Poetess 🌾

Your praise and appreciation of my .. read more
Here I am again reading yet another fabulous emotional Free Verse poem of yours.
These words are ...well, actually I have no words for the way i feel......Lisa

It’s said all things end,

and walking back to the house

I sensed that coming truth,

as Autumn's leaves

began falling

like tears ~

washing around

my feet.






Posted 1 Year Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Lisasview

1 Year Ago

Yes, a bite of the apple...
perfect...
Lisa
Richard🖌

1 Year Ago

Um  yummm!
Lisasview

1 Year Ago

And, ha ha...
preparing to get ready to cook and have a birthday party here for our friends f.. read more

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6742 Views
145 Reviews
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Shelved in 6 Libraries
Added on June 15, 2015
Last Updated on June 21, 2024

Author

Richard🖌
Richard🖌

USA, TX



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