The Song

Written Spring 2005

 

Tick-tock, the clock starts.

The September sun is sinking in the Western sky.

 

My mother is putting on her makeup before putting the suitcase in the trunk;

I decide on a dazzling pink skirt and beaded tank top for the restaurant.

 

I parade myself down the hall and model my ensemble.

My mother says, "Let's rock and roll.”

 

We wave goodbye to the neighbors, who wish me a happy birthday.

In the car, I turn the radio dials until I find the perfect song;

 

I turn up the volume until my ears buzz;

my mother begins to sing.

 

The smooth velvet of her alto voice and the orange glow of the sunset

splash together; a chill crawls down my spine.

 

Coral and fuchsia fade to wine and sapphire; I begin to sing.

A harmony of soprano, alto, and sunset rises and falls

 

against the darkening sky. The road winds with the melody

and weaves on ahead of us; I lift my voice.

 

The purest melody belongs to the joyful sound of my mother’s

voice, the rise and fall of the music, the dance I choreograph in my head;

 

I sing with my mother;

I watch the stars appear.

 

Our world is the only world - could any other exist? We fly down

the road; I stare at the silvery moon; I fade like the sunlight

 

into the sound of my mother’s voice, into the stars,

into the lilting melody on the radio.

 

Tick tock, the clock is still moving.

I consider the beauty of singing with my mother,

 

and staring at the stars. At this very thought, however,

the moment is gone - fleeting and transparent.

 

Time cannot be grasped. I continue to sing, but the moment

is gone. I wait, in vain, for it to return.

 

I try to forget the clock.

Reviews

[ScaryTrees]

i really enjoyed your poem
the imagery is vivid and i feel like you really shared that moment
life is bittersweet ain't it?

[lAcEy_LoO's Poems Site]

That was very pretty.... i liked it alot and I loved "I parade myself down the hall and model my ensemble.My mother says, "Let's rock and roll." that was very cute and a very good read!!!