The cats prowl and purr – each
uniquely loving, funny, proud.…
Every man, too, who entered my life and left
returns, with many details….
I smile and I weep.
Memories, like ghosts, appear at night.
My children – always the surest path
to joy and heartbreak – arrive at various ages.
They are middle-aged: friends or strangers….
They are infants, running and laughing.…
I weep, and I smile.
Written for Weekly Scribblings #31: What Makes You Smile? at Poets and Storytellers United, using the 'elevensies' form where the title appears as the middle line (invented by Kit Kelen in conversation with Kerri Shying, who has used it extensively. See detailed notes here.).
['On Joy and Sorrow' – Kahlil Gibran: I say unto you, they are inseparable.]
Written for Weekly Scribblings #31: What Makes You Smile? at Poets and Storytellers United, using the 'elevensies' form where the title appears as the middle line (invented by Kit Kelen in conversation with Kerri Shying, who has used it extensively. See detailed notes here.).
Nice one
ReplyDeleteHappy Wednesday
Much💝love
Same to you, Gillena.
DeleteThat’s such a coincidence, Rosemary – I know your poem is about memories, but I’ve almost finished a story about a ghost cat, and a series of other ghosts, who move in with a lonely widow. Not a scary one, but a ghost story to make people smile. You know I love poems with cats in them. 😊
ReplyDeleteOh, Kim, that's a story I definitely want to read!
DeleteThis is incredibly poignant, Rosemary! ❤️ Indeed, joy and sorrow are two sides of the same coin. I love how seamlessly the title is incorporated into the poem. You have done a beautiful job executing the Elevensies form. 🥰
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sanaa, for the lovely compliment.
DeleteThey say magic always comes with a cost, and I would definitely consider love to be one of the most magical things there is. But I'll pay it again and again.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I agree absolutely!
DeleteRosemary. I have a silar feeling for the ladies in my life. One in particular I would really really like to know how she is doing, but I have not even a hint to know how or where to start. You told the situation so nicely.
ReplyDelete..
Thanks, Jim. Meanwhile, I trust your memories are more happy than sad.
DeleteYes, there is always that yearning to see our children or family again because they are part of us.
ReplyDeleteIndeed.
Deleteyes, they do ~
ReplyDelete*Smile / sigh.*
DeleteTears mixed with smiles...that's life!
ReplyDeleteAh, so it is.
DeleteAll wonderful reasons for smiles, followed by weeping.
ReplyDeleteSometimes they go hand in hand.
True!
DeleteI'm doing a lot of that. Grieving and honoring the past. A haunting.
ReplyDelete