A Lament for Lost Attention

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A Lament for Lost Attention

(a Shakespearean lament)

O fair maiden, in thy silent hand’s repose,

Thou dost explore a world both vast and frail.

Thine eyes, like stars that in the darkness glow,

Doth wander o’er the glowing, fleeting trail.  

Thy fingers dance upon the glassy page,

As if to summon worlds with gentle touch,

Yet oft thy mind, ensnared in silent cage,

Finds naught but echoes, empty, cold and such.  

What art thou seeking in this luminous glow?

A truth, a tale, a fleeting dream’s embrace?

Or merely comfort in the ceaseless flow

Of pixels that thy restless heart doth chase?  

O, cursed thou art, with thy distracted gaze,

For in this hollow glow thy soul doth drown,

Lost in a maze of endless, flashing phase,

Thy spirit wanes, thy joy begins to drown.  

But a youth, a blossom in the spring of time,

Yet here thou standest, caught in shadows’ snare,

Thy mind, a vessel, racing, yet sublime,

Is tethered by the chains of idle stare.  

Remember, fair maiden, in thy silent plight,

That true delight resides beyond this screen,

Where dawn awakes the soul with purest light

And hearts are bound by bonds more deep, more keen.  

So lift thy gaze from this insubstantial glow,

And seek the whispers of the waking air,

For life’s true stories in thy heart do grow,

Not in the flicker, but in love laid bare.  

A moment’s pause, a breath, a gentle see—

And thou shalt find the world’s vast poetry.

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Shared with those who hold my rapt attention over at DVerse Poets for OLN.

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©2025 Christopher Reilley 

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