A Pretense of Normality

by Larry Chamberlin   Oct 9, 2018


I saw your shadow yesterday
blown about the treetops
in the pre-dawn wind;
it looked lonely and forsaken,
lost without your substance,
unsure whether to stand
fierce against the breeze
or let itself be tossed -
a tailless kite in zephyr mischief.

Since you left this plane
shadows predominate my days:
yours, the shade of my hopes,
the whisper of outlines
of children never to be borne
and futures never to be lived.

What has been taken, they say,
cannot be given back
but if it’s so then take it all
and do not leave darkness
staining doorways that should
be open to potentials
or brilliance illumining portals
that ought to ever
remain closed.

    report violation
7


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Latest Comments

  • 5 years ago

    by Maple Tree

    This has got to be, hands down- My favorite poem of the year to date.

    In pure elegance, Larry's word usage, visual display and metaphor's dazzle the reader and yet it's so sad that the reader takes and gets the message... that is a gut wrenching emotion one gets while reading. Its beautiful and yet so sad.. Just a true, powerful poem this week by Larry!

  • 5 years ago

    by CJ Maleney

    Simply brilliant dude.

    Craig

  • 5 years ago

    by Poet on the Piano

    Larry, there are few words for how profoundly you address the depth these shadows reach, this absence when the person is away, how it affects light and the very atmosphere surrounding us.

    Although this is emotional, this has got to be one of my favorite reads. It's personal yet intimate in how genuine your love is. How lost the universe is without that constant presence.

  • 5 years ago

    by Ben Pickard

    I am out of nominations, but I genuinely hope this is nominated and takes its rightful place on the front page next week. The use of metaphor throughout is a pleasure to read.

    All the best, Larry

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