A Divine Performance

The language of children seems so far out of reach
     from whence I once knew so well.
Those memories are but a distant sunrise now.

I went back to the corner of 7th Street
    to revisit the home of all my childhood dreams.
Nothing has really changed.

I used to go back there once a year to see
    houses painted in every which way while
sanctified Artists shaded their blessings upon the hollow souls.
     They were all stars. All the same;
leaders of the stage lying at the Heart of Main.
     But behind the scenes stands tall the director of great devils.
Nothing has really changed.

Early morning sun tinted by divinity;
    a God-like portrait of clear blue pictured in the clouds
gazing down to witness the entire show.
    It’ll be winter soon and the sea of blue
will fade into a bliss of white and empty hallelujahs.
    But the show must go on!
Nothing will ever change.

I rarely go back to that little town of mine now but
    the though of my childhood still lingers on from time to time.
Nothing has really changed.
    Except…I’m no longer a child.



That changes everything.

Reviews

[M. G. Smith]

If I might ask you to review my poem "The Child Sailed Away".

[M. G. Smith]

I love this, I walked right down memory lane beside you. Although, on line two I would leave out "once" it kind of throws the rhythm and line eight add an "A" to while. See what ya think.

[zainul]

I have no other words except my congratulations for writing such a lovely piece.
Please check the following line to find a word with spelling mistake:

the though of my childhood still lingers on from time to time.

[Norma M Sutton]

Very nice. The memories of childhood grow dim as time passes, but sometimes it is nice to visit.

[Craig Froman]

You've painted with such shades of sunrise here... thoughts of past tinted in childlike hues... melting into sunset ribbons as one grows older.. and grey shadows fall... How it all does feel like a distant dream.. Beautifully and profoundly moving, Sam..

[Chris T.]

Warning: I am going to overwhelm you with positive feedback.

My biggest issue with the writing on this site is the overwhelming lack of technical prowess. I will read 10 poems and 9 of them will be ABAB rhyming poems about broken hearts. The reviewers always offer comments about "relating" to the piece, and that's all fine, but it doesn't provide constructive feedback. This piece is what I hope to find when I'm reading poetry on the site. It is honest-to-goodness poetry.

The word choice is terrific and concise. The use of line breaks and periods is impeccable. The spacing of the final line is thoughtful and grants it levity. The one thing I might change about it is the last two lines of the last stanza:
"Nothing has really changed. Except...I'm no longer a child" works to some extent, but in the scheme of the whole poem it reads a bit awkward. If you are ever interested in refining it even more, this is where I would look to start.

Loved it though. I don't say that too often.

[Coyote Poetry]

Good to return to the place of our youth. Allowed old memories and dreams to appear. I like the story in the poem. The ending is true. We can look back at the past but can't relive it. Thank you for the excellent poem.
Coyote

[John Stussy]

Excellent poem of reflection, it's odd how our surroundings may remain quite the same while we grow older, everything's right where it was and how it was when you last remembered, but... somehow... everything looks different. Because we change, because our perspectives change, the world around us shifts into whole new dimensions and shapes. It's exactly how it was, minus the magic. As we lose our naivete, our eyes adapt to make a new picture before us. Well done Sam. :)