Hour 3, "SeaWalls..."

2020 Poetry Marathon, Hour 3

Hour 3

9/02/2023

 

"Seawalls..."

 

California dreamin'

been there, done that.

East and Gulf Coasts…

Japan, other green-riden places…

Norway, Portugal, Crete, Turkey,

Great Britain… and places that aren't places anymore.

 

I've paused on docks, promontories,  battlements, bridges;

in meadows, gardens, pubs, malls;

at empty places, within crowded spaces,

days, nights, mid-naughts - all;

along ship rails, dessert dunes, glacier ice,

city curbs, park benches, steam grates, asphalt tangles,

and within church pews and at too many tombstones marking souls.

 

Each is but a Seawall in my mind's view.

A place where thoughts coalesce, meander -

wander, wonder

…and flow unbidden,

where dreams fade like steps along the shore

as tides bring "waves" til the eyes …see…

no more.

 

And sometimes along the way

you share the space - but seldom the moment -

each has their own perceptions needing expressed -

addressed - breaths taken, held, then lost -

til time gives up its ghosts

and life moves past - each now

becomes a "then".

 

So many echoes are behind my eyes,

and the years are strewn with "silence".

 

Chris

(C) Chris Twyford 9/2/2023

Author's Note

Feel free.

Reviews

[Thomas W Case]

Tremendous work. You paint a vivid picture. I can see the scenes.

[Chris]

I've had an 'interesting' life... it helps me ...understand.

[Casey Truax]

That litany in the second stanza is excellent.

[Chris]

Is quite real... thanks for the notice.

[Lorry]

My favourite part of this piece Chris is "til time gives up its ghosts and life moves past - each now becomes a "then"."
You could probably transplant piece into so many memories and it would still stand out and be relatable.

[Chris]

I appreciate your pause ...and understanding.