Do you ever wish
To paint your life
In black and white,
And hang some sad nostalgic music in the back,
And put it on a TV screen
For men in future years to see
And say, “This must have been
The way things used to be …”
Do you ever walk the street
And half-imagine you might meet,
Some half-forgotten face from long ago
Although inside you really know,
You’re walking where they’d never go …
Do you ever sit and look
At ancient photos you once took,
Long-lost faces in a book,
And examine them a million times
As if to read between the lines,
As if you might see something more,
That wasn’t ever there before …
Something new, that might resolve
The mystery you never solved.
Do you ever wonder why
Faces wilt and flowers die,
People change and time goes by,
Leaving you to stand and sigh
At night beneath the starry sky
Watching comets fall and fly …
― Written by Anna Vera Williams at Age 26
December 23rd, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Hi Anna,
It’s taken me some time to get back to you after you left a comment on my Letters to Franz Kafka page. Finally, after 5 years, I am beginning to feel more “normal” after the death of my mother. I am not a poet (as you have probably noticed) but some things are better said in that form. Thanks for the link and I will reciprocate.
December 26th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
You know Anna, long time back, when I was really small,(8 years or 9 years max.),I thought as all civilizations come to an end, this too will. And a new civilization will rise. So I set out on a very naive act of making an All-Earth Catalog… you know one that will have right from A-B-C-D to we have 9 planets(yeah dont cringe that was my spectrum of knowledge
).
Today after so many years, your lines brought that instance in my mind.
“…Do you ever wish
To paint your life
In black and white,
And hang some sad nostalgic music in the back,
And put it on a TV screen
For men in future years to see
And say, “This must have been
The way things used to be”… “
One question: How do you manage to weave such a magic in words?
December 26th, 2007 at 11:50 pm
Soul Witness:
How do you weave such magic with comments?
December 26th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
Joyce – thank you for coming by. Focus on the future.
December 27th, 2007 at 5:55 am
A certain sadness weaves its way through this poem making it a very poignant piece. I, especially, enjoy these lines:
Although inside you really know,
You’re walking where they’d never go …
December 27th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
I really like the first stanza a lot, and for some reason the line “Faces wilt and flowers die”
December 29th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Uh, yes to all your questions
This is again a good, confident piece of writing. If you wanted to change anything, perhaps add some imagery to decorate it a bit more? But I don’t think it’s necessary. I enjoyed it very much!
December 29th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
haha – that comment really made me laugh, reluctantscribe. Thanks!
January 11th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Well, my dear Anna, tonight as I read this lovely poem in the wee hours of the night, a thought walked in carrying a familiar fragrance from yesteryear, a landscape quite familiar to me. I saw Saint Exupery’s Little Prince speaking the words of your poem. Imagine that!
I never know where your words will place me in time and space. Is why I love them so.
Poetmeister…on the road to Parnassus
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:10 am
I was nodding a lot as i read this! Thanks for visitng my blog!