I need photographs of you to remember
the way you smiled at me
moments that cannot be re-
drawn with crayons
or pounded into the present
with frustrated shrieks.
I have a string.
It is a thread of grey
long and trailing behind over
the horizon; I am walking
on a highway back
somewhere
where has that place gone?
If I follow the thread back,
will I find you there?
Or, are memories scaled in shades
of black and white
fluttering like a bird’s heart?
I don’t really need the photographs
to remember; it is that I
wish to flesh out memory until
you are standing before me
a reflection of who I am
and so spectacularly,
who you are
and tip-toe up to kiss you
gently, breathing life
into your eyes that
was gone
to see you smile.
Published by Stephanie McManus
Please come visit https://stephaniesattic.wordpress.com for poetry described as whimsical, daring and perceptive. My writing tends to reflect on life experiences and the transformation of perceptions and subjective experiences into new states of mind. This site is unedited and raw.
My journey with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome can be found at http://ehlersdanloscontemplations.wordpress.com/. This is a new website. My aim is to explore the process of acceptance through un-edited reflection and introspection. Another goal for this site as it unfolds is to provide support to others living with chronic illness. Please feel confident in opening up and discussing how I can make this a helpful website for you as it evolves.
Thank you for stopping by!
View all posts by Stephanie McManus
Wow your a very good poet.
That is really nice. Thank you for the encouragement. 🙂
Wnderful writing, Stephanie. All three were great reading, but the emotion in the first one makes it my favorite.
That’s interesting. Sometimes I feel the emotion is making it ‘less.’ Like I need to be more subtle…I fluctuate between that reigned in sort and the full-out emotion. Thanks for the feedback!
lovely wonders, well done.
🙂
Good work, Stephanie! Love the crayons and the string and the tip-toeing, so evocative of childhood, and the life the memory has, so much so to give life to one who has lost it. A wonderful way to imagine it.
Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed it!