Since the Day Love Died
SINCE THE DAY LOVE DIED
The bonfire I made from our past
threatens to engulf my present;
eyes sting, lungs sear, the skin
of my face tightens against the heat.
There was a lot of it;
photographs and mementos,
cards from every holiday, birthday,
anniversary and event.
I had newspaper clippings, ticket stubs,
poems I had written for you,
the menus we had saved
from restaurants where we enjoyed each other,
even the dried flowers you kept
that I had given you on our first date.
It all blazes merrily, a testament
to the power of fire to consume,
cleanse, and make things go away.
I find it ironic that I get more warmth
from the destruction of what we had
than I did from what we had.
And as the last remnant
of what you brought into my life
goes up in greasy black smoke,
smoke that curls in filagreed tufts
rising higher than I could ever reach,
I set my sights on the horizon,
where you and I do not exist,
and I am able to move forward.
-----
Shared with DVerse Poets as an example of a poem about mementos.
-----
©2014 Christopher Reilley
I would love to know what you thought about this piece.
Please consider leaving a comment.
Very interesting take, and yes I think that often mementos is more than a burden than serving to remember happier times which only serves to remind us of what has been lost.
ReplyDeleteNicely done!
ReplyDeleteThat burning of all that past stuff must be cleansing and freeing. I can relate to some of the details of that past from cards, to tickets to dried flowers. To let go of that and move forward takes courage.
ReplyDeleteThe imagery of a bonfire created from past mementos and memories is powerful and symbolic. Beautiful and melancholic writeup.
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely stellar writing here, Christopher! I resonate with; "I find it ironic that I get more warmth from the destruction of what we had than I did from what we had." 💖💖
ReplyDeleteChris - amazing. This is so powerful and relatable. I totally feel it.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is so good:
"I find it ironic that I get more warmth
from the destruction of what we had
than I did from what we had."
All best,
David
SkepticsKaddish.com
"It all blazes merrily, a testament
ReplyDeleteto the power of fire to consume,
cleanse, and make things go away."
Sometimes you need to burn that bridge behind in order to keep heading to that forward horizon. To quote Bradbury: It was a pleasure to burn.