Memorial Day

on my way to meet you
eye to eye for the very first time
i passed under the pecan tree
in my yard
it's largest branches bending and creaking in the impending storm
that defines the last weekend in May
in Texas
as i paused under it's animated shadow
a shudder
a chill
a brief recognition
of the potential for disaster
"that low branch is gonna go soon..."
but i was on a mission
i had plans
and butterflies
and other potentialities to fulfill
laughter to share
connections to realize
moments to be made

when i returned that night
face aching from hours of laughter
the largest branch was now in the yard
on the spot
where i had paused
and unconsciously acknowledged
it's foreshadowed doom
another pause
brashly thumbing my nose at Fate
"heh--ya missed me..."
time would give me reason enough
to wonder if she really had

from where i sit now
four years removed from that day
i can see the same tree
another branch hangs low
the way pecan branches do
when they're ready to fall
young and heavy
and susceptible to nature's wild spring whims
as if to remind me
or more likely mock me
with the inevitable truth
that nothing lasts
and Fate hates audacity

29 May 04

aw come on guys--11 hits and nothing? you liked it? hated it? didn't get it? "don't quit your day job, zoom"? "seek professional help, zoom?" "JUMP!"?

This is really stunning. I mean it reminds me of the unpredictability of life. Like you cannot expect something to last forever. Can't expect a branch to remain on a tree forever without finally falling, and you can't expect the other shoe not to drop--nothing is secure.
That's so true.

hehe, but i did like this verse; when you came back from your date that had gone well, and the branch is in the yard, not having fallen on you--

when i returned that night
face aching from hours of laughter
the largest branch was now in the yard
on the spot
where i had paused
and unconsciously acknowledged
it's foreshadowed doom
another pause
brashly thumbing my nose at Fate
"heh--ya missed me..."
time would give me reason enough
to wonder if she really had

The last two lines lead into the next verse so well--because just when you think you got away without being hit by a harsh thing, boom, there's another threat--another hanging branch. More unpredictability.

I think we're all basically fighting a constant battle to keep our heads above water, avoiding being hit with possible disappointments or failures.

But then there comes a time when you say, "when's it going to end?" And you might even get sick of the fight--maybe after awhile a certain acceptance comes--whatever will happen will happen.

Anyway, I hope I'm making sense but that's pretty much how this poem hit me!

Thanks for sharing it.

Kate(WP9)

zoomie,

*cough* I'll be honest, zoomie...I hadn't read the poem because of the title. The title made me think "bleh/boring" automatically because I'm so unpatriotic. But now after reading it, I feel like an idiot for NOT reading it before because dang girl... that is simply BEAUTIFUL. It really is. Geesh, more people need to read it. On the contrary, it is a gem of yours.

I LOVE these lines:

"brashly thumbing my nose at Fate
"heh--ya missed me..."
time would give me reason enough
to wonder if she really had"

Hehehe, I love that "heh--ya missed me" line, that's so you. Although I believe what I love more are the lines following it-- turning the humorous line into something much more profound. That's where the poem took a turn for me and turned from "aw cute" to "huh..." and had me thinking.

"as if to remind me
or more likely mock me
with the inevitable truth
that nothing lasts
and Fate hates audacity"

Love it. Love it love it. It really is like it's trying to remind you (or mock you like you mocked it, lol) of that inevitable truth. Nothing lasts, if only in the simple truth that we never know when our day will come that we'll die...or be in an accident that changes our life forever...or who knows what else. Sadly, we always think "We have enough time" when we make choices in our lives. Automatic thinking that things will be okay or the same when the time comes. But that's not always true. Things change, people change, and situations change...and unfortunately, sometimes even death or some kind of loss happens.

I purposely try to remind myself (ever since my Grammy's death) that I don't know when my time will be up. When I'll die. Of course I envision being the old granny rocking in her chair and holding hands and cuddling up all cute and elderly, but I never know if I'll reach that age. Some people don't... I try to live my life like maybe I won't. I wish other circumstances would allow me to do that more often, but for the most part, I try to.

You seem to live with the same acknowledgment...and this poem shows that. Just beautiful, zoomie. People should bow. lol

~Gabber

bows are not necessary--i just needed some feedback! thanx guys!!

Zoom-
I skipped this poem too because of the title. But I'm glad I stopped to read it now. I was just thinking about that "other shoe thing" and wondering why we say it. I've had so many shoes fall in the last 6 months, how many shoes can there be?

But your poem says so well how sometimes we feel more powerful than fate, that we can beat it, it's not going to happen to us... and then we get one right in the face and wonder why we thought we were so invincible.

And this really is about love, the most fickel of all human endevours. And it's about the fact that we are all mortal and imperfect after all. Whatever we get in this world that's good we should just accept it and not expect it, that's what this poem teaches me.

heh--maybe i need to reconsider the title. when i wrote it it seemed dead because of it's retrospective tone--it's a memory of Memorial Day. i didn't think about it just showing on the mainpage as a title. and the subtitle is really just BS cuz i had to put something. that's not really part of the title...

anyway, i'm glad y'all got it--i was a little worried there for a while