That familiar italic hand,
in pukka, Indian ink
the sunlight chose to fade,
but after all, you were
a daughter of Leo.
Those few precious lines
are part of the ether now...
yet a trace still remains;
your name, and a kiss
that my fingers cherish.
And that customary
flourish of your pen
at the end – like an ‘S’
on its side as if you knew
time was running short.
“This is me,” you wrote,
“with the worst brass band
in India...I’m the one without
a moustache, just in case
you’d not twigged...to the right
of the frangipani tree.
Oh, and wish you were here.”
So do I...more times
than you can imagine.
Comments
Beeme | July 7, 2010 - 20:18
This is very beautiful and moving tina especially the latter stanza. I really enjoyed, sorry I haven't been commentimg recently I have been very busy, i promise to catch up with the poems i've missed. Beeme xxx (i'm sure i've missed some treats ;) )
Silver Spun Sand | July 7, 2010 - 20:49
Beeme - I've missed you and so pleased that you're OK;-)
My thanks to you for reading this...and I've missed reading your treats too. Life has a habit though, of getting in the way sometimes.
Glad you enjoyed. It is a poem means much to me.
Tina xx
rjnewlyn | July 7, 2010 - 21:48
Very sad but very good. You're right about how evocative handwriting can be, particularly when it's faded and echoing through from the past. I guess another thing that will be lost in this world of text.
Silver Spun Sand | July 7, 2010 - 22:30
You are so right there, rj. Text will never have that smell and that feel of a newly opened book but that is the path we are treading and who is to say where it will lead?
Myself, I'll just snuggle up on the couch with my latest library aquisition and appreciate the benefits of here, and now.
My appreciation to you for your, as usual, empathetic and inspired thoughts.
Tina
chuck | July 8, 2010 - 15:41
Very beautiful SSS. You have captured the sadness and the joy.
Silver Spun Sand | July 8, 2010 - 18:07
Chuck - thank you. Your words mean so very much.
SSS
MistakenMagic | July 8, 2010 - 20:14
'And that customary
flourish of your pen
at the end – like an ‘S’
on its side as if you knew
time was running short.'
- love how intricately you describe the hand-writing Tina. You can tell a lot about a person from the way they write - so I love this little detail! That last line is just so beautifully heart-breaking - well done on the cherry!
Magic xxx
Silver Spun Sand | July 8, 2010 - 22:56
Of all the many poignant, tangible reminders of a person's existence, the thing that is most difficult to come to some kind of terms with, is actually the intangibility of their handwriting and the effect it has.
My thanks to you, dear Magic, for reading this one, and for the stanza you chose to illustrate your inspired words.
Tina xxx
kheldar | July 10, 2010 - 20:17
Hi Tina,
Once again you describe a fleeting moment yet open our minds to a wondrous story lurking just below the surface.
Well done on the cherry, thouroughly deserved.
David xx
Kahdai | July 10, 2010 - 20:34
Good to see you back about here kheldar & straight in with the i.p. Kahdai :)
Silver Spun Sand | July 11, 2010 - 07:52
My word, you are doing a lot of reading these days, and thank you so very much for taking the trouble to read this one.
Glad you enjoyed and I appreciate your telling me;-)
Have a peaceful Sunday, David.
Tina xx
Cavalcaderl | July 11, 2010 - 21:42
new Silver-Spun-Sand
Well deserved cherry!
excellently put together
and all the contents and
images and the pen S on the
side,memory of it all and of
course sad but beautifully done.
Have a good week-end.Very hot here.
Both stopped in Saturday.
julie xx
Silver Spun Sand | July 11, 2010 - 23:09
Julie - so good to hear from you...like a breath of fresh air. It is hot here too, but some welcome rain tomorrow, so they say.
Glad you enjoyed.
Tina xx