Retrouvailles

There's an opposite to déjà vu. They call it jamais vu. It's when you meet the same people or visit places, again and again, but each time is the first. Everybody is always a stranger. Nothing is ever familiar.”- Chuck Palahniuk (Choke)

 

Evening summary -

Bee buzz,

Blue-grey Marlboro smoke,

Polished nails sticking out

As they softly tinkle their Pinot Noir glasses.

 

Vulpine flashes- sneaky and hermetic,

Crafting through the madness - and mine met too.

Alas! Clandestine cognizance can be a rocky affair.

 

Where was it? Ah! Rack your brains!

Alexandra’s wedding in '94?

The blonde in Pillbox hat and French netting?

Nope! 1981-Stockholm Airport!

We had our times, didn't we?

5 am dinners - and yes!

That Norfolk coast country trip!

Now don’t spill out the rest beneath the sheets!

 

“ Easy now!

Those chapped beads of the coral tiara!

They are hurting my groin - take it off ”

 

The trance wears off……

 

“ 53, Seventh Floor, The Marriott

I will see you around. ”

Author's Note

This was a sudden write - unplanned and whimsical. It straddles across the genres of experimental, nonsense and a little bit of eroticism.
Sometimes we feel tickles in the stomach when we walk into a stranger - may be some loose threads of familiarity and a faint attraction. For a fraction of a second you ask yourself "Do I know her? Did she go to high school with me? Isn't she the one whom I had a fling with some N years ago on that business trip? " Then you arrange yourself, get composed and start all over again!!
'Retrouvailles ' is a French word which means the happiness of meeting again after a long time. I thought it was an appropriate title. It's one of those 10 relationship words that aren't translatable into English.
Hope you like it. Anything you have to say - shoot!

Reviews

[Tree]

I enjoy your poetry Aaron, because you are an intellectually stimulating read and I mean that as the highest form of compliment. I have always found the déjà vu concept fascinating and here you introduce us to its polar opposite –––the "jamais vu." so, you've given us something new to ponder. Your piece here has that "reminiscing" flow, the tone and pauses of remembrance a form of story telling that I am particularly fond of; reminds me of two American poets, O'Hara and James Wright, poets who brought this type of poetry into our literary consciousness –––back in the 60's. I like how you snap the reader back into the present. Then left us wondering too, outside/or inside that elevator, about what the hell just happened? Nice piece.

[Pratik]

Thanks a million for this wonderful review. This one came like a bang! Just took me an evening to write it ( it usually takes much longer for me). I am humbled by what you say! Can't thank you enough :)

[Leslie Philibert]

Aaran is a talented and interesting poet. A fine poem that one shouldn`t analyse, simply enjoy.Great.

[Pratik]

Thank you Leslie! Glad you liked it!

[Tate Morgan]

i have had those days as well and wondered if i was getting thoughts from ancestors genetically passed on to me .How strange the human experience heh

[Pratik]

Thanks a million Tate :)

[Tate Morgan]

of course i wish i read more I have been down a bit im recovering though I finally wrote a new o9ne today the first in a while maybe ill get manic for a while

[Pratik]

Why? What happened? I was wondering about you.. didn't hear from you lately until now

[Tate Morgan]

I tend to go through bouts of depression as most poets followed by manic times when i am very productive,

[Coyote Poetry]

I like the words "jamais vu." This is the first time I hard them spoken or written. A very nice story in the poem. Nice to meet people in different places. Sometime world can feel like a small place. Thank you for the amazing poem.
Coyote

[Pratik]

Thank you so much! Your views are always dear to me!

[Robbie~xoxo~]

Ohhhhh this is delicious!!... I see a swirl of erotica within this write, and what an enthralling, experimental piece this is! Jamais Vu is new to me... I love the concept of the flip side of Deja Vu! Very creative.. you have crafted another intriguing work of art! Bravo!

"Bee buzz,

Blue-grey Marlboro smoke,

Polished nails sticking out

As they softly tinkle their Pinot Noir glasses.



Vulpine flashes- sneaky and hermetic,

Crafting through the madness - and mine met too.

Alas! Clandestine cognizance can be a rocky affair."~ This captured my attention from the start! Fabulous write!

[Pratik]

Thank you sweetie :) I was wondering what would be your thoughts on this. In fact your numerous writes was an inspiration behind this :)

[Rick Puetter]

I feel the distance, a cool standing off. Intimate, but strangely not touching. An interesting perspective.

This was enjoyed and had me thinking.

Best regards,

Rick

[Pratik]

Thank you Rick :) I wanted it a bit dry to enhance the quirkiness of the situation. Thanks for your point of view :)

[James William Dyer]

I like the idea of this jamais vu. And I liked the experimental style of your poem. The only gripe I had was the word ALAS!. I don't like the word, I'm prejudiced against it, it sounds archaic, but that's probably a personal gripe. Aside from that I found this intriguing and written in an original fashion.

[Pratik]

Hey thanks! And you are right! I was looking for something else than alas! But this seemed to fit in the best possible manner, so i settled for it. Thank you once again James :)

[Mark]

I felt the meeting, the street, the wondering recognition... Enjoyed it :)

[Pratik]

Thank you sir :)

[Christopher Steven Evan..]

I liked this peice. You certainly have an intriguing and articulate mind.

[Pratik]

Thank you Christopher :)

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Hi Aaran, for a spur of the moment piece this is exceedingly good. Love the line 'Alas! Clandestine cognizance can be a rocky affair'. It is well written, paced and is engaging. It takes a good poet to write somenthing like this and make it feel good.

[Pratik]

Hey thanks John! Glad you liked it! It was indeed a spur of the moment writing - though I took some time to arrange this

[Dayran]

An exploration into the non-verbal experiences that are relied upon for meaning in a relationship. Could it have meant this....or that....or was it that other? Makes a great case for plain speaking in relationships. Quite a fresh change in style Aaran.

[Pratik]

Thank you sir! You got it right - i was looking forward to write something different. I haven't tried something like this before :)