We who with songs beguile your pilgrimage / And swear that Beauty lives though lilies die, / We Poets of the proud old lineage / Who sing to find your hearts, we know not why ... (James Elroy Flecker)

17.11.18

Missing the Boat


Missing the Boat

 It was only
a momentary, passing
flicker of regret 

for an absence
from a place
I might have.…

 After all, if
I had not …
or if I …

It’s just – I 
imagined a glimpse
of golden apples,

hints of sunlight
on sparkling water.
For a moment.

Linking to Poets United's Poetry Pantry #431

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18 comments:

  1. Magaly Guerrero18 November 2018 at 05:13

    Some moments can conjure lifetimes...
    we don't want to let go off.

    Really love how effective the line-breaks are.

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    Replies
    1. Rosemary Nissen-Wade18 November 2018 at 09:05

      Thank you. I don't know what it is exactly, but for some reason the three-word line seems to work well for me.

      Delete
  2. Sherry Blue Sky1 December 2018 at 14:33

    I love this inner monologue......this is just the way we think, too.......

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  3. Sumana Roy1 December 2018 at 20:11

    All those 'if's and 'might have' seem quite familiar. Nicely put.

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  4. Brendan2 December 2018 at 22:45

    Ennui sure is like the second-to-third drink of whiskey -- an eternal golden moment gone with the next breath. I think you nailed the emotion here.

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  5. Sanaa Rizvi3 December 2018 at 00:17

    Some moments are simply unforgettable! ❤️

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  6. C. Sandlin3 December 2018 at 02:16

    Shivery and familiar. If only, indeed. :)

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  7. dsnake13 December 2018 at 02:29

    such sweet and short lines! All those 'if's, that can define a person's life.
    quite like counting the petals of a flower? :)

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  8. Donna@LivingFromHappiness3 December 2018 at 03:09

    Those thoughts or regrets for not making the other choice...moving in a different direction. What would have happened or what would have not happened. I love the way you crafted this.

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  9. brudberg3 December 2018 at 03:26

    Those moment when it could go either way... love the thought of this, and it reminds me of the movie sliding doors... when lifelines split in two alternatives...

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  10. Elizabeth3 December 2018 at 03:27

    You have captured that elusive but well-known bit of humanity. Well done,

    Elizabeth

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  11. Vicki3 December 2018 at 03:37

    This is lovely, Rosemary.

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  12. Kim M. Russell3 December 2018 at 06:08

    It’s amazing how a ‘momentary, passing / flicker of regret’ can turn into a lovely poem with ‘hints of sunlight / on sparkling water’, Rosemary!

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  13. Vivian Zems3 December 2018 at 08:29

    It's amazing how we can skirt around regretful moments. You put it quite elegantly

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  14. Wendy Bourke3 December 2018 at 10:20

    Nine (I think) little words in the 3rd stanza - but Wow - they speak volumes about living a life.

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  15. Old Egg3 December 2018 at 11:42

    Our brains are huge libraries for our use but we have to remember where to look, Dewey's decimal system doesn't work up there.

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  16. Thotpurge3 December 2018 at 14:59

    Just takes a fleeting glance to unload a ton of nostalgia .... lovely write.

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  17. Linda Lee Lyberg4 December 2018 at 04:41

    Very lovely, those memories...

    ReplyDelete

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