Those "Long-Ago Rooms Where Memories Lie"
are so many by now, and so varied.
Some, it is true, were unpleasant places,
but others ... how I'd love to have tarried
in those rooms, those dear times, with those faces –
and yes, I'll say it, in those embraces.
The memories that lie there, I don't think
they lie as in falsehood. Oh, let me drink
deep of that cup of remembrance, and bring
the live emotions back, poised on the brink ...
of joy or pain? Would they sing? Would they sting?
Today, for Micropoetry at "imaginary garden with real toads", we were invite to be inspired by Maya Angelou's "long-ago rooms" to a poem of 12 or fewer lines. I decided to try a dizain, just because I like them and haven't done one for a little while.
I think both ... the heart is a bittersweet house, isn't it? But living there is so much better than not.
ReplyDeleteI think they would do both - sing and sting - but what would life be without our memories. Enjoyed this so much,, :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is so wonderfully pensive, Rosemary!💞 I too wonder sometimes how I would feel if I took a trip down memory lane.. and can relate to your closing line.
ReplyDeleteA lovely choice of form as frame for your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI've been on the hunt for an interesting form to try. Thanks for introducing me to this one, and for including the link.
ReplyDeletethe deep longing of yester-years is strongly stated . Nice
ReplyDeletemuch love...
If we only realized how dear they were - how we would miss them. But for this we are blessed...
ReplyDeleteI love the rhythm and rhyme of this. And the brave way you remember the good and the bad.
ReplyDeleteI think you are braver than I - more in love with the song than the scorpion - these are excellent lines:
ReplyDelete"The memories that lie there, I don't think
they lie as in falsehood"
They both shine and sting, those memories......loved this poem, my friend, steeped in memory.
ReplyDeleteThose long-ago rooms awaken so many emotions, Rosemary, and I like the way you evoke them in your poem. I especially love the final echo of '...Would they sing? Would they sting?'
ReplyDeleteLovely form. I think the memories would both sting and sing, truly bittersweet.
ReplyDeleteI like the thoughts that those rooms have evoked in you, Rosemary. Did they sting or sing. I'm sure you felt like singing after remembering the HUGS
ReplyDelete..
Our past shapes our present so it can be a joy to visit those old rooms and remember those faces!
ReplyDeleteThis poem sings itself. So beautifully written. I love those memories that lie not in falsehood.
ReplyDeleteThe nostalgia is strong in this one! I love these lines especially:
ReplyDelete"Oh, let me drink
deep of that cup of remembrance, and bring
the live emotions back, poised on the brink ..."