Do you

a conversation

remember how we usta sit

on the stone staircase by the liquor store

across the street from the specific ocean

late at night, ruminating and medicating

under a partly-cloudy sky?

 

how the minutes turned to hours

and the darkness into day as we toasted Shakespeare and

the power of literature,

the politics of war

and the glory of mead.

 

remember how we watched the world walk by

wondering how so many couldn’t see what was falling apart,

while our hearts thundered at

the outrage of apathy.

 

never mind our complicity

in the compromises made-

such a notion nineteen could not comprehend.

 

in the end, Time conquers and enthusiasm fades

as we take our place among the living dead. the rent is due,

the car won’t start and all that is left of youth

is the memory of the possibilities, the hopes left behind

on a stone staircase by the liquor store.   

Reviews

[emmajoygreen]

Powerful yet thoughtful truth.. no hidden thoughts here but the raw moment by moment realism that young people see before they're near forced to 'behave' or go 'overboard' . Your finish is as near a biography that a few near tragic sentences can be.

' in the end, Time conquers and enthusiasm fades
as we take our place among the living dead. the rent is due,
the car won’t start and all that is left of youth
is the memory of the possibilities, the hopes left behind
on a stone staircase by the liquor store.'

You write superbly, This was written way back.. wish you were still posting in here.

[Jonathan Brooks]

Great poem! The end is truly sad because there are so many "living dead" out there. Let's hope that doesn't happen for anyone else. My favorite stanza was the second one--loved the imagery!

[Ishan Sadwelkar]

Beautiful my friend.
I understand this poem completely.
Many similar experiences.

I guess you'll understand when you read some of my personal poems.

I had fun reading this. Emotional fun.

Regards
Ishan

[Alicante lullaby]

wonderful.
in the end,time conquers and enthusiasm fades
sad how we kill the child in us

[Libby McKeown]

Beautiful and powerful, as is all of your work. After reading this I immediately wanted to DO something, but I'm not sure what. Poems should have this effect! They should bother us, cajole us, make us remember, articulate secret feelings, and so on, and this poem does just that. Older, yes, but wiser? Excellent work!

[Ed Hart]

aside from the fact that you have wonderful poetic instincts, the only thing that time conquers is the glue that holds our cells together; but that's enough...

[Alice]

This is your best, my favourite, at least. I can't believe I haven't reviewed it before -I'm really fond of it because I remember reading it a long time ago when I was still sat on that step and being struck with horror that maybe the last stanza was true, and I have re-read it at various stages along the path to that final phase and it has made sense of things for me, looked after me. It is a poem that has a universal familiarity, that one can live with and grow up around and always come back to – I have, anyway, can't believe I haven't told you so, writers should know when their work really does mean something to somebody - apologies. The conversational tone is spot on, that can be annoying but you nailed it. It is just the right mixture of funny and profound, it makes chuckles out of sadness, which is what the best writing does. For once I disagree with Chloe – the title is perfect, clever. You are very very clever. I feel I should say something constructive having taken so long to review this but I can’t think of anything. It really is excellent and it really is special to me. Thank you.

[Amanda Crandall]

I love the cyclical pattern with the liquor store and the images in the poem are authentic in their simplicity. I am familiar with that feeling of tired like your just making the motions required to just get through the damned day.

[Cierra Scott]

This is simply amazing.

[deeps]

I love this write, It says so much.
This is wonderful and well stated to it's points.
Well written write

[cest la vie]

love this - I call this "Slices of Life'.. Smooth to read, and such a great meaasge. I think this is nicely written.
Lynne