REMINISCENCES

Another poem celebrating the life of a fabulous woman whose value was realized only too late, my first wife, Pat...

REMINISCENCES

 

Reminiscences, today

Of the wine that spilled too soon,

Of its savour, its bouquet,

Of the way it filled the room

 

Its bottle dusty,

Its cork dried out,

Its label tattered--

Yet did it shout:

 

“Sample here, this nectar sweet--

“Overlook my lack of shine.

“No-one here will ever meet

“A subtler, fuller-bodied wine!”

 

From a spotted flute, twice chipped

Curiosity fin’ly conquered all;

My trepidation lost, I sipped,

Then deeply quaffed that Vessel tall.

 

But bottles handled badly boast

No subtlety of flavor,

And ere was lifted a third toast,

A tinge of bitter dregs did savor.

 

Of all the pleasure I’d besought,

The promised redolence uncorked,

Sadly, too few drops were got

‘til yet again, its path was torqued!

 

Then was that Wine decanted roughly

Into a Vessel barely proofed.

The Vintner e’er pours true, if roughly--

His winepress often leaden-hoofed!

 

So that Wine, from bottle dusty,

Tipped into glass chipped, then sipped

With caution, to allay the musty

Undertones, too soon hath slipped,

　

　

　And all who subsequently sit,

Inquiring, “Whence this red-stained linen?”

Are told, “That’s all that’s left of it,

“Here’s the bottle it once had been in.

 

“Emptied, now, of pungent savor,

“Ended, now, my macabre tune

“Of a Wine of complex flavor--

“A Wine that spilled far, far too soon!”

　

In memoriam, Patricia Henriquez Teague

 

c. Mark Teague

October 28, 2001

Reviews

[poetry lover]

Gorgeous metaphor throughout. Deeply sad, a wrenching memoriam for a loved one. The red-stained linen is like a slap of reality that hurts, aches. I don't see how this poem could be better. Your grief is clear.

[cest la vie]

I love the analagy of a fine woman to a fine wine..I have never been able to manage writing anything in rhyme, but you succeed wonderfully..

“Emptied, now, of pungent savor,
“Ended, now, my macabre tune

“Of a Wine of complex flavor--

“A Wine that spilled far, far too soon!”

I love this closing stanza.. It's very nice to read your words again my cajun friend!!

[Samuel Dickens]

I didn't know. I'm very sorry. I see this as a very tender and loving tribute to her, and the wine analogy is perfect.

[KAREN]

A beautiful poem wriiten with love for someone you cared about! It had beautiful flow and written with feeling!

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

This is such a beautiful homage to a woman whose life obviously ended too soon, the loss of which you obviously still feel deeply. How wonderful that you honor her memory with such a lovely and heart-felt tribute.

I particularly love the 3rd and 9th stanzas. While the rhyme schemes seem simple on the surface, they really are quite unique.

One small correction:

"So that Wine, from bottle dusty,
Tipped into glass chipped, then sipped
With caution, to allay the musty
Undertones, to soon hath slipped,"

Last line should be: too soon

Thank you for such a lovely poem.

Linda Marie