one foot out the door

cultivating intimacy isn't exactly easy after failure

don't say it

don't say the words
neither of us will say
or wants to hear --

a dream is best
at the edge of wake,
before one's eyes are opened
to the harshness of the dawn.
a tale is best
before it is altered
in the retelling.

don't say it,
and neither of us
will ever have to wonder
what emptiness lies
inside the words
we did not
want to hear

Author's Note

A blast from the past

Reviews

[A hare off]

When something finally feels right, especially when we thought it never would again, little steps are taken, the direction is often the other way, and words are watched, held back for fear of breaking these feelings that seem whole again. Do dreams come true or is that just a myth? Too good to be true is something questioned but I believe that when it is right, too good to be true can be true. Your poem says a lot with a few words. Very well done.

[Lyn Anderson]

you hit it right on the money in your analysis. thank you for the review.

[redzone]

Well KL, you come back with a roar that's for sure... and with an oldie song to boot... "I love you more than I can say.." oops I wasn't supposed to say that was I ... er.. okay okay, but hey, you were away so long and i have this pent up evil humor and and and.. ;0)

Okay about this poem.. I think those last few lines hit pretty hard cause often there is lies and emptiness in those words and often they are said not with real meaning but out of habit and are useless... and after that and the realization that it's over, yes it is very difficult to want to hear them again, to try again.. of course if you have one foot out the door, it's too late and the old saying applies "uhho, here we go again".. oh and by the way, I agree the dreams right before we awake are the best, perhaps because we remember them best and they often seem so real..

anyway, now that I have spent my evil humor and you have not as yet chopped off my head, I will try and behave from now on... maybe... ;0)

redzone

[Lyn Anderson]

Thanks a lot for the thoughtful review. The hardest thing is saying something you think might change something that already feels perfect, yet the urge to do so is like some little devil on your shoulder egging you on. Be in the moment, at least, that's what it is sometimes best to do.

[Lydia Shutter]

After a heartbreak, it is very difficult to trust again....to open oneself completely. Staying in that dreamy state is a safe harbor....no need to think of how long it will last or the future. So emotive. You still got it! :) Lydi**

[Lyn Anderson]

That means a lot, coming from you. Thanks.

[iamshadowine]

its such an amazing poem! i loved it

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you. I will be sure to visit. I am cautious about who I consort with.

[Einstein Noodle]

i have missed a lot of your posts ..enjoying catching up very much .. another great song choice ... not being good at breaking up is universal ..i don't think one can be "good" at it ... its sloppy .. hurtful and i suppose not saying the words is as close as we get to "being good" ... your note on intimacy is more telling than your poem ... i am definitely very bad at retelling stories ...so loved those lines ... the directness and simplicity of this poem bring it home for me .. nice one!
E.

[Lyn Anderson]

thanks darling. I am having fun, but it is arduous posting all my scribbles from the last few months. oh the tales and the adventures. so much has changed, yet so much remains the same.

[Einstein Noodle]

you called me darling, dahlink ;) "tales and adventures" eh!? ... now my curiosity is aroused! :)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

great song by leo sayer...


i really like this poem...it's perhaps a leaning to not write the poems...just let that inspiration come and sit at our doorstep in all its glory....and maybe we just ruin it by putting the words to paper...or just get disappointed because what we thought could have been, just never quite made it into fruition----

[Lyn Anderson]

Thanks. Sometimes it's never quite as good once it is out there. And yes, the song, from my old days as a kid, singing with my friends, first love at the roller rink, and all that ...