Shorthand conversations

Cherry

By valiswaverider

Wed, 21 Aug 2024
  • 343 reads
7 comments
 

 

 

You ask me about the kids I went to school with

 over thirty years ago

I see them sometimes in the street

And sometimes wave hello 

and sometimes do nt

Dependant on my mood 

 

Those people are almost strangers to me now

I know their names

I remember films we cued to see 

On sun fading evenings  way back when 

I was young and the world was open for adventure 

 

I remember that girl 

I had a crush on in class 

I wonder if she remembers me ? 

She’s not a face I see in the street 

Did she move away ?

Did she get married and have kids ?

Did she get hit by a car while she was at university or meet a French actor and live in a villa  in province ?

Or an American banker and live a dull life in up state New York secretly pining for a return to England ? 

 

Who knows 

Her life’s as much a mystery to me

As the lives  inscribed on  Ancient tomb stones 

I see in the local cemetery

Or the life of that boy I saw riding a camel only briefly only for a second 

Thirty years ago in some name less village

On the bus 

On the way to Cairo 

 

 

Sometimes it’s hard to separate 

What’s real and what lives in the imagination 

My whole life is a mystery to me 

Except sat in the local park with you 

On a sunny day 

My hair turned grey 

Having a short hand conversation 

About the usual turn of events 

Which is never much effort 

Old friend 

 

 

Thinking of the ordinary pleasures of life 

Cause all else is a mystery 

And I suspect a great mystery 

To all the great thinkers in the history  

Life is bigger than us all 

We know it’s rhythms and reasons 

 And  it’s ever changing seasons 

But not the meaning of it all 

 

What do we know beyond that ? 

Do nt ask me the way 

I am no one’s guide

I am a stranger here myself 

But I ll sit and have a short hand conversations

With you old friend 

About not very much at all 

 

Certificate U
Poem

Comments

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

I can relate to this poem. I often look at old photos of friends I once knew and wonder where they are now, whether they're still alive, or how they look now that we're so much older.

It's sad to think that we had so much in common when we were young, but time moves on and people change, so I suppose we just have to live with our great memories, But it's great to write our feelings down, especially in a poem.

Inspiring to read,

Jenny.

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

I really enjoyed reading this. There's that wistfulness as we think about people who once shared so much of our lives - and maybe wonder if they think about us? - and then the warmth of the friendship that has lasted years. The shorthand conversations about not very much are what get us through.

Submitted by celticman on

I am a strangers here myself too. 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Enjoyed this very much, the feeling of how our lives are little drips in the vastness of an ocean, and how you bring in comfort with the second part, with friendship and "Thinking of the ordinary pleasures of life" is when we catch light

 

Submitted by David Kirtley on

I did like this poem because it does really make us realise how little we do know about everyone else's life. We just have snapshots of others' lives,or shorthand conversations with them!

Submitted by valiswaverider on

That's very true,  I watched a documentary interview with William Friedkin the director and he was talking about how people come in and out of one another's lives sometimes very briefly. Watching that interview and having a conversation with a friend in the park on a pleasant sunny day combined into of this poem. It nice to get such good feedback from everyone 

 

Submitted by Yutka on

hello Stranger, I love the way you describe life and how you see people around you responding. Life is a non ending adventure. And through your manner of writing about it,  it looks you never get tired looking...

Yutka