Where Do You Go

This probably isn't about what you think it's about. But, then again, maybe it is.

We love to play in summer blooms

In fields of green, under a silver moon

With petals so bright

Shinning stars, and sun light

The bluest of skies

Her crystal blue eyes

Warm skin, warm within

A lover's embrace

Kindness, and grace

But where do you go

When the skies turn to gray

Empty fields where you no longer play

Scattered remains of happier days

Where do you go

When the colors all fade

Summer warm replaced by Autumn's change

When the wind rattles skeletons

Of those happier days

Do you still come to visit

When the sun goes away?

Do you still find the beauty

In these cold autumn days?

Do you still hold tightly

When everything has changed?

Where do you go

When winter's slumber begins

Eyes fade to gray

And the cold bites your skin

Will you still come to visit

And find the beauty within

A colder embrace

Less kindness, and grace

Where will you go

Until it is summer again?

Reviews

[Eilis]

Your note at the top made me doubt my interpretation, haha. But I can see a couple of ways of reading. Having just ended a long marriage with the person I’d been with since I was 17, I saw some of the ideas through the lens of the ebb and flow of relationships. Some days we are in sync and the love feels invincible and other days it can feel you hardly know the person.

My first reaction, however, was a more poignant interpretation with the untimely loss of a partner. There’s a sense of absence and your switch from summer to autumn and the skeletal image makes me think of the greyness, the stasis of endings where the other person is no longer within our reach. Yet we still refer to them and they are still a presence to us. But there is a need to find a new way to be ourselves. The dark times that have to be eked through.

I agree with Joli on that skeleton of happier days line. That conveys a lot. It gives weight of emotion and a sense of movement but one where the world moves while the speaker remains still in the mind-dark. There’s a sense of time passing and life living here that conveys something essential about experience.

[Joli Dy]

You are amazingly insightful, Eilis. And we are in the same season.

[Eilis]

Thanks for the compliment, Joli. Sorry to read you’re going through hard times too.

[Paul in the Buff]

Eilis - you are quite insightful. I'm sorry for the struggles you faced, but we all have to face them, and with the strength and support of those around us we usually come out ok on the other side.

This poem was inspired by the field of fading sunflowers shown in the image attached. There's a lot to the story... not sure the comment section is the best place for that. Thank you for your insights. I appreciate you!

[Joli Dy]

I completely missed the image. Just clicked. It's stunning

[Paul in the Buff]

Thank you, my friend. :)

[Pryde Foltz]

Wow ... this IS a poem. I am listening to some jazz as I comb the cafe. Boy did your poem go well with the mood. Indeed ... where do we go when we still have embraces full of love to give and the other goes somewhere else. Wonderful, wonderful writing:)

[Paul in the Buff]

Thank you! A cafe and some jazz sounds nice right around 10:30 on a Monday morning. I wish I had more time for that in my life. :) Be well my friend.

[Coyote Poetry]

This would be amazing verbal poetry. The words told a story of thoughts, places ands things to come. The words gentle and are heavy too. I could see the movement of seasons and the missing of something. Thank you for sharing the outstanding poetry.
Coyote

[Paul in the Buff]

Thank you. Seasons, elements, and the celestial are often parts of the metaphors I work into my poetry. My head is often out in space, and frequently feels like space is all that is in it!

[Coyote Poetry]

I enjoyed the poetry and you are welcome.

[Joli Dy]

"When the wind rattles skeletons
Of those happier days"
I love the image of a day's skeleton.
I hope the one questioned sees what I see.

[Paul in the Buff]

How did I know you'd be drawn to that line? I wrote this 8 years ago, and thought while writing that line, Joli would approve....

[Joli Dy]

1. Because you know me so well.
2. I love that!

[Paul in the Buff]

[Paul in the Buff]

Oh wait. Can you not use old school text emojis here because the site interprets greater than / less than as HTML tags?

[Joli Dy]

Like I could ever answer that question. Pshaw

[Paul in the Buff]

I tried to give you a heart emoji... Less than three. The comment ended up blank.... so strange.