In The Stillness Of Late Years

Gold cherry

By skinner_jennifer

Mon, 07 Jun 2021
  • 4280 reads
23 comments
 

Dear diary...a poem remembering

day trip along coastal path while on a

single parent holiday retreat in Devon.

June 1985.

 

 

Struck by father time, as clock ticks without hesitation,

this pleasant sunny afternoon with just photos to guide;

it's been harmonious drifting back, recalling in mind

footprints treading those creative trails, accompanied

by gathering folk whose roots resembled mine, inviting

myriad of memories meandering; so beguiling were those

rays, they feel like illusions these days.

 

Sensing distant impressions, now I'm out of sync; like

my two little companions who have moved on and aged,

when young we were like spiders threading natural

pleasures,shimmering brightly with whispers of impulsiveness,

 

there were no muffled calls from flecked conch shells;

only imagination hearing sweet song of ocean's voice

drifting across rolling tides, telling me of tranquility

once traced in calm surroundings, now definitely

worthwhile grasping with playful attention, recalling

combing beaches...finding all kinds of thingamajigs,

that would appear curiously like brief mysteries of

wonderment, yet sometimes yielding the familiar.

 

Those mind twirling worlds of yesterday mingling

like a tornado, I gather them up, attempting to frame

collective faces no longer cloaked in shadows; some

drip like wax into the here and now, their flame burning

ever brighter...as I recall, though some of those young

resemble tumbleweed scattering in the cacophony of

barren – unfamiliar locations that get confused, each

one pursuing my mind's eye, in the stillness of late years.

 

Photo's my own.

 

 

 

 

Certificate U
Poem
Dear Diary
Travel
Biography
Nature
Love
Journal
Autobiography

Comments

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Thank you so much for the cherries Editors, they really cheered me up.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by drew_gummerson on

Congratulations. This is our Facebook And Twitter Pick of the Day! Please share. 

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

You describe well the mingling of memories, some clear, some much more vague, coalescing over the years of time as we get older, but various threads emerging! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

This is wonderful Jenny - I love the candle wax comparison. Well deserved golden cherries!

 

Submitted by marandina on

What a wonderful pic, Jenny. And the word "thingamajigs" should be used more often. Super poem and congrats on the POTD. Paul x

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Drew, you have made this reminiscence even more special. Thank you so much for the pick of the day, I really do appreciate those gold cherries.

Thank you again. 

Jenny. smiley

 

Submitted by drew_gummerson on

It's a pleasure. I enjoyed it. And seeing all the lovely feedback you've had. I loved the picture too. 

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Rhiannon,

I'm so glad I describe well, some of those memories for you. I do recall having fun exploring, my son was at that age where he found everything fascinating, because it was all so new...rich memories.

Thank you so much for reading and taking the time out to let me know.

Jenny. smiley

 

 

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi insert,

those metaphors are so much fun to play around with. so I'm glad you liked the candle wax comparison.

It was the best feeling when I saw those gold cherries. Thank you so much for reading and letting me know.

Jenny. smiley

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Paul,

thank you for your thoughtful comment. I too like the word thingamajig to describe the unknown. There's always those creatures in rock pools I can never remember the names of, and my son was at that age of asking, "What's that?" Constantly. 

I'm grateful to you for letting me know you liked. Thanks again.

Jenny. x smiley

 

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Trevor,

there are many memories that I cling to now that I'm retired. Not able to travel like I used to, makes it even more of a treasure to look back on. I'm just glad I had my moments of adventure and was able to share them with my son. Oh! By the way, no they aren't twins, this was a photo of my son and his friend he made on holiday, they were both around the same age, so made good companions, it was his mum who took the photo.

Glad you understood where I was coming from at the end of this poem. Some of those faces in photos do get quite confusing, especially when you recognize, but cannot put a name to the face, I remember the little boy's name, but for the life of me cannot recall his mum's name...strange.

Any way it was interesting reading your comment and felt you understood where I was coming from.

Thank you for stopping by to read and share your thoughts.

Jenny. smiley

 

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

A lovely photo to complement a lovely poem, Jenny. I did wonder what you look like and now the picture has given us a  glimpse of your feature.
it goes without saying that the Pick was thoroughly deserved.

Luigi xx 

 

 

Submitted by jeand on

HI Jenny

What a beautifully written poem of memories of those days.  You have a great gift of sharing things from your life. 

Jean Day

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Luigi, I'm flattered by your words, though my features have aged so much, but it's fun looking back on those younger days.

Appreciate you stopping by to read and your kind comment. 

Thank you.

Jenny. xx smiley

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Jean,

it wasn't easy being a single parent, but I have to say it gave me the opportunity to get out and about. I was always determined not to be your typical stay at home mum, even though I had to push myself hard to leave my little flat that I was so proud of. We did have some fun holidays and Devon is such a beautiful part of the world, I think we are so lucky here in England.

Some of my memories are so vivid and take me back, I just need to get them down now while I still can recall.

Glad you enjoyed Jean and thank you for letting me know.

Jenny. smiley

 

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

Lovely poem, SJ. Evocative and moving. 

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Mark,

your comment was most welcome. smiley

Thank you so much.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Beautiful Jenny, the light and shade of memory perfectly conjured. :)

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Thank you Rachel, I'm glad you enjoyed reading and grateful for the feedback.

Jenny. smiley

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

So much rich language! I loved "mind twirling" and 

"combing beaches...finding all kinds of thingamajigs,

that would appear curiously like brief mysteries of

wonderment," what a brilliant way to describe all the little creatures in rock pools! You always put words together in a new way. Your son is so lucky to have had such an exciting, intelligent, loving Mum

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

It's always nice to hear from you Di, and thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts.

Jenny. smiley

 

Submitted by Hades502 on

Jenny, I am guessing this one is from your actual journal and you wrote it some time ago. I'm curious if that's true, or if that initial part about the diary is part of the poem itself. Yeah, I wonder weird stuff. Either way, it's very good. Congrats on the golden cherries.

GGHades502

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi there Hades,

this is a poem about a holiday I took in Devon England with my son back in 1985. We stayed at a single parent retreat, it was a lot of fun with the beach just a short walk from where we were staying. 

The poem was written about some of the experiences we had, but is also a diary entry too.

I'm glad you liked and thank you for reading and the congrats on the gold cherries. They always mean so much to recieve. smiley

Jenny.