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Saturday 15 September 2012

Dear John...



I found our collage yesterday -
Or as I like to think of it: montage.
Each item here an echoing,
Lovingly cut out
Then pasted into memory,
Of something that we shared.

We cruised the coast of Kent,
Sea misted all the way -
You called it haar,
Though wrongly, I believe. The coast
A faded postcard from the sea,
The fading I see here.

Here are the pearls you wore,
The doily from the restaurant where we lunched...
So posh, insisting on a tie!
You gave me your silk ribbon
And I made a tie from that.
We giggled through the meal.

And then the little gallery,
The picture that we bought
for our front room... 
(We'd always planned ahead!)
Remember how much care she took
Protecting it with yards of burlap?

Only the letter is misplaced in time.
It came a few days later - set out
Your reasons which I understood
And to this day accept, though foolishly
Still half expect
The problems to resolve themselves.

It's just the net that's slipped my memory...
It must have some significance, but
let it rest... allow loose ends to be. 
Written for Vicki Sheehan's prompt Timeworn, The Thursday Think Tank's #114 post at Poets United

17 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

Bittersweet and beautiful. Thank you.

Daydreamertoo said...

Awww... how delicate the language, just like the lace. How sad. Loved the imagery of the ship in the mist along the coast.
A fine 'Dear John' indeed :)

Brian Miller said...

this is lovely dave...lots of memory in there...as elegant as the ones it engenders...i think we all cling to that fools hope at times...

Anonymous said...

Lovely. Yes, I too found that bit at the end affecting--how we still hope for things to be fixed, because really they should be. I've always found the notion of cutting off relationships so strange-- I don't mean changing them but cutting them off. You bring up that strangeness her with the reduction to objects. K.

haricot said...

You creates beautiful collage with your recollection regarding to ocean, meal, tableau and more...

Mary said...

Sad how sometimes things that seemed like they were so 'meant to be' change; and how sometimes those wonderful memories fade.....like old letters. A sensitive write here, Dave.

Ella said...

Beautiful and haunting~ This was so romantic~ I love how you captured feelings, while sharing a day!
I loved it~

Helen said...

You found the perfect visual to accompany your extraordinary poem .. sweet, romantic, sad, haunting. I also loved it~

Tommaso Gervasutti said...

I was surprised by the intensity of this recollection and then even more surprised by Poets United to be reminded of John Keats. I mentioned Ode on A Gracian Urn this morning in class.

Linda said...

How wonderful. When I read about the coast of Kent it reminded me of my father....his parents were born in Kent, England. Thank you so much for sharing.

Scarlet said...

I love the montage echoing of pearls and silk ribbon. It's sad that things didn't turn out well but I do love your ending..its perfect~

let is rest, allow loose ends to be

Cloudia said...

Let it be.
Ah, but you don't here - to our profit.
I shall dream tonight
of the coast of Kent,
sea misted all the way,
and am the richer for it. Thank you


Aloha from Honolulu
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Dave King said...

The Elephant's Child
Thank you so much.

Daydreamer too
Dear Johns are inherently sad. Not usually my style, so thanks.

Brian
I think you must be right - I know I do!

manicddaily
Thanks for this,. Yes, you have it exactly. The strangeness you mention, I agree.

haricot
Thank you. Much appreciated.

Mary
Yes, times change and nothing stays the same, I suppose. We change. Nothing lasts for ever.

Ella
Thank you for your comment. It's good to have your company.

Helen
Thank you so much. Good to hear your thoughts.

Tommaso
I've neglected Keats for too long. I must look him up again! Thanks.

Linda
Hi, Thanks for visiting and for sharing your thoughts. Very much appreciated.

Heaven
Thanks - and a special thanks for mentioning the ending!

Cloudia
Lovely comment. Thank you very much.

A Cuban In London said...

Sometimes the loose ends are what make us return to those moments. When people talk of closure, do they mean oblivion? I hope not.

Many thanks. This was a beautiful poem, very heartfelt. In fact, I could see it set to music, too.

Greetings from London.

Vicki Sheehan said...

beautiful...i love the story this poem tells...

Ygraine said...

Hauntingly nostalgic, this truly touches the heart.
Brought me to the verge of tears...

Dave King said...

A Cuban in London
Good point! Yes the loose end do often enrich.

Vicki
Thanks for saying so. Good to have you visiting.

Ygraine
Thank you so much for saying this. It does mean a lot.