Pale Flower In Shadow Of You

The mind replays what the heart can't delete.

I wanted to stay forever awhile,
to be the one he would never let go,
to plant my heart in the curve of his smile
and be the one he was happy to show.
My words and my tears were pleading for more,
but his silence was promising me less.
I gathered my things and unlatched the door.
There was a spine in the back of my dress.
I whispered on wind the dirge of my soul.
I thundered into the ear of the moon,
poured my tears into a bottomless bowl,
and prayed that the end would come for me soon.
A bare branch scribbles your name in the dew.
I am pale flower in shadow of you.

Author's Note

Reviews

[willweb]

First off, there wasn't anything I found interesting to read this morning on the site so I decided to venture back into some of your older writing (since you are one of my favorites) and I found this. Right off the bat, the first line and the phrase, "forever awhile". Wow, I knew I had stumbled onto something good when I saw that and I was right!. Beautifully sad, your words come as a whisper that gets louder as the lines pass. There is a deep sense of loss and regret it seems to me but the poem itself is so beautiful it makes my mind ask. "How can that be? Beauty and sorrow????" Well, I guess so because it is. Really nice my friend.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Will. I read it again when it came up. This is a minute reflection of the sorrow felt in losing the love of my life. Once you lose that, a part of you dies. You forever search and never find. You are one of my favorites as well, so thank you. :)

[willweb]

Sadly, or however you want to phrase it, I know that feeling too. I could tell this was something pretty painful.

[Pryde Foltz]

Nothing hurts like truly loving someone who would really rather you didn't. I have been there. So hard to let go of something that was once beautiful and full of hope. The only bright side is the amazing poetry unrequited love can inspire. Great work, here:)

[Robert Trakofler]

This rips at my heart and tears at my soul so sad and true this expression of you and I cant help but feel a tinge of sadness for him too, living on in his life without the likes of such love . i'm thinking the pale flower is actually him without you

[R.E. Ray]

Linda Marie, you're a master of the unrequited love poem. Your words tear at the flesh and soul. And, that photograph must have been taken for this poem, or the poem written after studying it. She is a pale flower, washed in the shadows, walking alone, head down, toward the deeper shadows. Your words take us where she's walking, and we're left with an emptiness. And, you've accomplished this in a sonnet!

[Chris Shaw]

Tender and heartfelt, but there is a backbone here. Oh yes, it takes guts to know when it's over. You didn't do the dying Swan performance, you left with dignity even if your heart was broken. Wonderful write Linda Marie. Another sonnet, and a good one.

Chris

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you for stopping by, Chis. It's always a pleasure.

[gram linski]

loved the tenderness of the broken hearted, but I disagree, unless he can write poetry like this then he is definitely in your shadow,

gram,

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you. That is such a sweet thing to say. He couldn't even express himself emotionally so I'm pretty sure he couldn't do so in poetry.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

the tension felt in this is incredible...the sense of loss ..love the oxymoron in the opening line..."forever awhile"---
if only we could make every loving moment last forever...but we often find love to be ephemeral.
and that is so sad.
j.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Jacob. I liked the "Forever Awhile" so much that I almost made it the title of the poem. I am glad you liked it.