It Can't Be True

I lay my head in hand
and go blank with tears that slide slowly down to burgundy sheets.

Somewhere near, in my memories,
The fog lay its chords down like fingers
On the neck of a good guitar.
Feel it cool and smooth in my hand
Worn in familiar ways like a friend,
The lone survivor of the war.

So much of my life is nothing more than a simplistic soundtrack
stretching backward in lost faded pictures
and home movies that ended up in someone else’s trash.
I know…You keep your memories in your heart
and hope you memorized the lines well enough to recite them
with truth and conviction, no additions or subtractions
without outside addictions or distractions.

Where will I go when I raise my head? 
There, in someone else’s town,
I’ll learn to forget
And echo children’s smiles until the morning comes
Without fog and the music is mine again.
I’ll sing your song, remember your smile
Under the full moon of a new year come to stay.

Reviews

[Emily B]

No more smiles, only echoes of smiles. That may be the strongest, saddest image all the way through. There in someone else's town, where you'll pretend that you're learning to forget.

There is so much raw emotion in these words. This is a beautiful write, I hope it isn't your loss described in the lines.

[Blackbirdsong]

Clearly this is a sad poem but it's so beautifully written that you made even sadness beautiful.

"So much of my life is nothing more than a simplistic soundtrack
stretching backward in lost faded pictures
and home movies that ended up in someone else's trash.
I know�You keep your memories in your heart
and hope you memorized the lines well enough to recite them
with truth and conviction, no additions or subtractions
without outside addictions or distractions."

That's a powerful stanza and of course the first one just grabbed me -

"Somewhere near, in my memories,
The fog lay its chords down like fingers
On the neck of a good guitar.
Feel it cool and smooth in my hand
Worn in familiar ways like a friend,
The lone survivor of the war."

I better quit before I end up pasting the whole poem here. But I really loved it.

[Ladysue]

You expressions in this poem are full of so much greatness. The emotion is pure and the reader is left feeling your pain. These lines speak so much and are by far brilliant,
The fog lay its chords down like fingers
On the neck of a good guitar.
There, in someone else's town,
I'll learn to forget
And echo children's smiles until the morning comes
Excellent pen!!

[Celtic Cat]

Heartwrenching, to say the least. This is so sad. I'm pulling out these lines:

There, in someone else's town,
I'll learn to forget

They're very painful. This is a great write, as everyone has said. Something about it just keeps the reader enthralled. It's great.

[pal]

"So much of my life is nothing more than a simplistic soundtrack
stretching backward in lost faded pictures
and home movies that ended up in someone else's trash."

deep thoughts well reflected. true in the end all in mind life end.
pal

[Michael Soul]

beautiful sayed

[Tom G]

Great depth. great feeling ,great write!

Your painted words, unvail your soul
May your Phoenix rise, entirely whole
And then, just pause and smile
Knowing you're so very worthwhile.

You are soooo gifted!! TomG

[Angela Talbert]

I actually feel a heart wrenching feeling when I read this...very close to tears...there is something about the way you wrote this that makes me feel like you are holding so much more back... Very good write

[Lydia Shutter]

Yes, I KNOW I read this one before, but I came back for seconds! :)
Just had to tell you that these two lines are incredible!!!
"The fog lay its chords down like fingers
On the neck of a good guitar. " Amazing poetry! Lydia

[Cdnsurfer]

I like the use of two line stanza to open this, to set scene. The guitar metaphor is strong but you shift this nostalgia for a full on self-reflection. That transitioned well. Very nice piece with some great self-reflection. Well done. Rob

[Adam Greenfield]

I see this as a coming of age piece, like when you finally do raise your head, where will you be in life? There are a lot of thought provoking lines in this piece, and some great word play entwined in them. Heck of a write!!