A Lesson Learned

How kind her teared eyes that hid the truth; from the lips that would never confess.

 

Rode the train with my girl today

across the barn swept hollows

Past lush fields of emerald green

with the life and love that follows

 

The train car tapped out a lullaby beat

which spent our time lost in leisure

The smiles past came by with the peace

life's sweet gifts we couldn’t measure

 

A man had set across the aisle of us

he seemed so different from me

Clothes tattered, torn and weathered

homeless and likely worn hard was he

 

I couldn’t help but to take the notice

his features hewn and deeply lined

Drawing a map of where he'd been

red eyed he looked half blind

 

Something alone in his vacant stare

said It was me that he resembled

The thought had taken me a-fright

I looked hard, long and trembled

 

I saw my lover look over him too

noticed the hair might be the same

Except for straggling beard and decay

I had felt a deep sense of shame

 

Could that be what would happen to me

what fallen angel had led him astray

A nightmare vision of life’s full truth

eyes of pain in the heart they betray

 

Then my lover looked back upon me

her thoughts she sought hard to repress

How kind those teared eyes that hid the truth

from her lips that would never confess

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Author's Note

An introspective mirror of myself.

Reviews

[Shelly Braen]

This piece holds unmaginable beauty! The seasoned timelessness of such a beautiful, yet solomn journey through the eyes of such a man, yet the thought that they might be yor own looking back at you from the differences of eras. How could a person be more beautiful than the man sat in front of you. Wonderful! Simply wonderful!

[Cassandra D.]

I liked the rhyming play that you've used in your poem.

[StoryTailor]

Hm, you were right. I liked this one so much better then any I've read of yours. *smiles* but then again, you've written so much. An incredible poem, there was not one thing that struck me as odd. It really is beautiful.

[Thomas B. Buckman]

Yes, this is an excellent poem.
It flows beautifully, and not once is there an awkward pause, or word.
Very well done...

[Ebb and Flow]

Just simply beautiful and powerful. The fear and worry is very present.

Krys

[Moalix]

Interesting, I like how at first you don't think you are alike at all and as the poem comes along that you realize it is you.

[Charles]

Ah, yes, you must like this poem inasmuchas you direct your humble readers here. I had to scroll though ten pages to get here, but worth the effort. The meter and words (especially in the firat two stanzas) bring the image of a train right into the room. This is a nice version of the 'there but for the grace of god go I' stories and a very enjoyable read. Good work.

[DELETED]

I really love the ending on the way it turns out.
Great poem.

[E. A. Fielder]

wow I love that! The twist at the end caped it off beautifully: "how kind her teared eyes that hid the truth; from her lips that would never confess." At first glance I thought this would be another sappy poem about feeling bad about a homeless person but this poem/story was much more than that! I love how you wrote the imagery so well that it played like a movie in my mind.

[Allegra Pescatore]

ah yes, here is rhyme put to good use indeed. Thank you for directing me here Tate. I love the lines:

Could that be what would happen to me?
What fallen angel had led him astray?

great work.