Finale

Here comes the wash of tidal flow,

full moon glow on a starlit night,

your tepid touch returns to me.

A light caress on freckled skin,

impressed by charm and caught with ease.

Convinced that love would break my fall,

my knees were weak, I do recall

struck down with their belief in you.

But unsuspecting grew to gloom,

no room in your sad swell for me.

A sailboat drifts in open sea.

Consumed by fear, I begged my dear

afloat in my own misery,

afraid of life and so alone.

You have the gall to reappear,

tears and years have passed, you're back.

A lack of thought shown on your part,

a move I don't consider smart.

How shallow you now seem in dreams,

my small white sails ripped at the seams,

yet now restored to billow free.

I stand and stare,your eyes remain

a liquid, hazel flecked with brown.

You played the clown so brilliantly.

And I no longer weakened by

your spell or buried in its hell

have learned to sing without your song

resisting you, I've grown too strong.

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i must be so infiltrated lately with thoughts of Sylvia...in ways, she could have written this.
How she ran into him after the split...how he still enticed her...how she still loved his writing...and still felt the connection so strong, and then how she finally weaned herself off of that need for him...grew strong enough on her own to get the divorce....but maybe she was only lying to herself...maybe in the end...he was still the stronger force and her broken wings could not be repaired...
anyway...where i am right now, this is how the poem spoke to me...even though, surely, the intent or thoughts of the writer were probably in a totally different direction.
j.
j.

[Chris Shaw]

This is an oldie from the archives Jacob. Like you, I find Sylvia is still hovering these last few days, so I can see where my lines took you. I like that very much. Thank you.

Chris

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

The twists and turns of life and the vipers’ seduction of innocents...I followed your painful words dear Chris, and all the memories they brought me. Why do we fall for the ‘bad boys’? Your metaphor and imagery ring true and warn well. “My small white sails ripped at the seams”- unrequited love unravels us, yes. The pristine delicacy of line and verse contrasts dramatically with the savagery of the lover’s betrayal and return for more destruction. Once burned... Your last verse sings of strength and triumph. No more tears shed for the wicked. Brava-loved this!

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks Annette. Yes, those bad boys do seem to attract our attention when we are young. We learn by our mistakes.

Chris

[Ayvid N]

There is a wonderful message here, Chris. Put across so powerfully, wisdom shines through your words. A returning lover, one who left usually has a motive and must be questioned. Often it is lack of options, realizations too late. It is indeed beautiful to be strong and not be captive to such a love anymore.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you DIVYA for your insightful review. A leopard never changes its spots as far as I am concerned. Maybe harsh but that's me. Makes damn sure you don't get bitten twice :)

Chris

[Ayvid N]

You're so right Chris. Re-unions are quite romanticised but I've understood enough to not read too much into such comebacks. It pays to be practical. :)
You're most welcome. It was a pleasure to read and exchange views on this...

[Tate Morgan]

This so reminds me of something. I have a weakness for freckles. Almost all my girlfriends were freckled. So the other day my wife and i decided we would look on facebook for a couple of people each of us had left behind to see how they were doing. Hers turned out to be a lunatic lol But both of mine who were once so beautiful were dead in tragedy and despair. One died of cancer the other of drugs. It was sobering

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Tate. Happy you followed the freckles, but what a shame it didn't take you down a happy path. Life is sobering indeed. We should never forget that.

Chris

[John the Baptist]

Well, some old flames burn more brightly than others. This one sounds like it should have remained in the ashes, but bad pennies do have a habit of returning. The imagery reflects the lingering distaste very vividly. Hope he faded out of the picture quickly.

[Chris Shaw]

He returned in dreams only. Even they were unwelcome. Sometimes we wonder with hindsight how we end up in some places. Thank you John..

Chris

[Relic]

I've known a lot of people in the past that were close. Through time, some have become like strangers. Sometimes in life - like this poem - that proves to be a good thing.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks Tim. It's good to have you visit my page. All good wishes.

Chris

[DawnMichelle]

In reading your poem I came to admire you, Christine. I have to be honest.. because I find myself in a situation where I'm not the strong woman I want to be. A very well written poem, I enjoyed it.

[Chris Shaw]

Dawn Michelle thank you for your visit. Strength comes as a result of the breaks. I felt very weak once. I grew out of it. Happy to see you visiting my page. All good wishes.

Chris

[kentuck14]

Chris,
Another marvelous poem! So much of our lives are wrapped around love . . . either sustained or lost.
Our resistance to 'false' love is usually very low . . . because what each of us desires the most is love!
What this world does is blur the lines between love and lust. "A sailboat drifts in open sea." Oh, how that describes human longing---both sexual and emotional! "My small white sails ripped at the seams . . ." that double-mindedness that overtakes us in the most vulnerable aspect of our lives; pushed and battered by storms of feeling such uncertainty.
I am so glad the speaker has, through it all, become stronger and wiser . . . this is a true human accomplishment.
Congratulations on another fine poem.
Tom

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks Tom for your continued support and encouragement. It means a great deal. Pleased you enjoyed the read. Your thoughts most welcome.

Chris

[kentuck14]

Glad I could do so.

[john l smith]

Another sorry story of a failed romance.
Seems to be a fairly common scenario, increasing as time goes on.
I am lucky and pleased to stay that way
Dave B

[Chris Shaw]

One from the archives Dave. I wrote several about the same bloke. Long time ago. Thanks for your visit.

Chris

[john l smith]

That's them blokes 4U

[Chris Shaw]

Well some aren't up to much, but the vast majority are ok in my book :))

[john l smith]

(.......amen.......)

[Einstein Noodle]

how things can change in the light of day eh!? really think his "tepid touch" in otherwise romantic verses 1 & 2 is super fine ... it sunk the hook of my mind and demanded satisfaction ;) i confess ... in my love life, such as it was ... i can not claim the innocent hurt ... i most horribly was the one crawling back ... but she was too smart for me ...we were in the teen years ... funny how in thinking of her there remains a longing ... i think she was ready and planning her married life even at that young age ... but times were different ... its what was expected in our lifetime .. the young ladies marry and have children .. work in the home .. and the young men buckle down and earn a living .. take care of the family ... hmmmmmmm she really loved me i think ... but i was far away from "bucklin' down ... there was a big big country to adventure in ... boy your poem threw me to memories long ago filed away ... many years later i re-visited my neighborhood and tried to look her up ... she was not around but i talked with her sister .. she had four children same as me ;) and had married the next guy she dated in HS and they are still married as far as i know ... kind of cool! peace and love Chris! sure thank you for your poem!! memory lane forever eh!?
E.
ps i think your protagonist has done the right thing ... for sure!

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Mr E. I certainly sent you on a trip down memory lane. Hope it aas a nice experience and not one that saddened your day. I always appreciate your visits, so good to see you here. The protagonist, he did me a big favour. A really big favour :)

Chris

[Einstein Noodle]

you sure did Chris .. and no .. not sorrow at all ... to long ago and as i said we were teens .. it took me another decade to even start to understand what "love" is ;}