Donna

My friends would never leave her be each passed and gave her a wink One could see, it was not to be it was driving me to drink.

Donna at 40

She was so stunning in her youth

my breath ran short when we met

She caught my eye, and with a sigh

had left me in a cold sweat

__________________

I pursued her relentlessly

'til finally she gave in

A beautiful mind,what a find

a cross of beauty and sin

_________________

My friends would never leave her be

each passed by her with a wink

One could see, it was not to be

it was driving me to drink

_________________

Adoration grew in my chest

but time told a different tale

We had distressed, what beauty blessed

as in time our love grew stale

_________________

"You're too much woman to be fair

I can see that now so clear

Such beauty's rare, a cross to bear

I have to let go my dear"

____________________

We're  beauty for a fleeting day

that fades with the loss of youth

Forget and may, upon us weigh

the merciless pains of truth

Author's Note

I was Donna's friend many years after that.When we broke up I had injured myself so badly I wondered if I would recover. We met now and then in Louisville where I once raced and called my home. I remember telling her that children would help her in old age. But to her defense she was so intoxicating at 21, I wouldn't have listened to me either. She had lost her boyfriend when I last met her at 40 and had no children. Still beautiful but injured like the first time you make a child cry. Her own parents were very old by then. My heart bled for her. For truth be known I had loved her since the day we met. That was 10 years ago. I haven't heard from her but once since. Yet fresh in my mind as if yesterday I remember her wounded. How it cut me so deep I cried! Hers was the eternal beauty of Cleopatra, both inward and outward her light shone bright. I had been blessed to be her friend.
I adored her father and mother as well. It was easy to see where her beauty came from.

Reviews

[David Lewis Paget]

It takes courage to renounce the thing you want most. I doubt if I could have done it, Tate, which necessarily meant that in my life, I was the one left, never the one to leave. You had the foresight to avoid the pain of future indiscretions, though you didn't get off scot free. There is always the needle of nostalgia to aggravate the wound.

[jwesley]

Good piece, my friend. I think as we age and run into old friends (and not necessarily many years between) it's like looking into a mirror and we see a reflection of ourselves. Some age / wear a little better than others, but even damaged mirrors show truth in reflection. And, yes, our music was the greatest ... and this one a classic for sure.

enjoyed the read.

j.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

"Wasted on the Way"--good song and coincidence...a few days ago i got that CD...the greatest hits...fantastic stuff.

[Tate Morgan]

its been awhile but you know we had the best music in our generation didnt we

[jacob erin-cilberto]

my high school girlfriend and i had a similar relationship...me always leaving.

she was beautiful...and i saw her three years ago...at 58..she still looked 21...

but life had meant for different paths for us...she's happy...that's good.

i like this poem quite a bit..not only cause i related.

[Stacey Watts]

Sometimes things work and sometimes they don't for whatever reason. I know that this is very painful for you and can tell it in your words. Broken promises falling by the wayside is tough. Very well expressed.

[Michael G. Smith]

I loved it. I heard a country song playing from a radio in my mind. Great rhyming1 I don't think you missed a beat. I felt empathy in this, knowing that I am married to th elove of my life. This made me reflect on what feelings would be with out her. I put in a poem "Thus, Without Thee". -Mike

[Penlady]

Heartrending as real life can be.. .it is sad that people we love cannot see themselves as we see them...

[Manpreet]

An awesome piece with a lovely story and the real emotions. I enjoyed the reality in it.

[Maan]

I am running twenty, I don't know and haven't seen the world much but when I think of letting go the person I love, it scratches deep inside and then holds back, by that I know that loving someone takes great courage but then letting go for some reason takes even more courage and to recover from the 'let go' takes life I guess.
Poem was wonderful, a truth.

God bless.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

"a cross of beauty and sin"

...the crux of many a heart's demise. Intelligently and thoughtfully presented piece. To turn the mirror on ones past is not only difficult, but also brave. I find that in my own writing I do this, though I tend to work in abstracts to avoid the blatant bearing of my soul. Perhaps one day I will gain this courage. Nicely done.