Strangers on a Street

Cherry

By marandina

Tue, 05 Oct 2021
  • 2008 reads
15 comments
 

A fleeting acquaintance can be memorable but will it be remembered?

 

Strangers on a Street

 

Rain cascades in near horizontal sheets,

neon light dances in pools on pavements,

I pull up coat collars to cover my face,

wind whips and stings, bites and scolds.

 

Deserted streets where only the few,

watch shadows flickering - night-time mirages.

I look up and see you across the way,

bound in purgatory like all lost souls.

 

We need to be somewhere, sometime soon,

lives intertwining at an intersection of life,

where we stop fleetingly to pensively ponder

our respective, solitary, monochrome nihilism.

 

I can hear faint tap-tapping, heels on concrete,

as cars pass by spraying water onto grey land,

you rush on, sparing me a nonchalant glance,

I see your smile, eyes windows to thoughts inside.

 

And then, in a blink, you are gone forever,

destinies mutually exclusive after all, it seems.

In the final reckoning of things black and white,

you won’t even register as a Hitchcock thriller.

 

Image free to use via WikiCommons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain#/media/File:Raining_street_in_the_nig...

 

 

Certificate 12
Poem
A Requiem For One Man's Life
Spiritual

Comments

Submitted by Hades502 on

I liked this one. I was expecting some audio, but perhaps you just spoiled me with the last one. A lot of work to do that, I imagine. So, it seems you are concentrating more on poetry these days? I really liked that last line. Keep it up.

GGHades502

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading it, Hades. I might add an audio later. They take a few goes to get right so end up taking a while. The last line is meant as the theme to the poem i.e. "Strangers on a..."

Thinking of a short story for Halloween and maybe another political satire. The words aren't coming to me at the moment!

Thanks again. Paul

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for the cherries, ABC Eds. Much appreciated. Paul

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Paul,

your poem speaks of those episodes in our lives, when we're like insects passing, aware of the other, yet in the blink of an eye with time forgotton...even when that person has made an impression, we don't recall all memories.

Hope I got it right. But the poem did get me thinking.

Jenny.

 

 

Submitted by marandina on

Hi Jenny. Thanks for reading. Yes, that's exactly it. The analogy with the last line is equating the story to Hitchcock's movie "Strangers on a Train" in a superficial way. Maybe life is a series of moments, most eventually unconnected and forgotten. Philosophical musing with a nice pic from WikiCommons. Thanks again for reading and the thoughtful comment. Paul :)

 

Submitted by jeand on

HI Paul

I was expecting a meeting of minds and souls, but all we got was rain. But the whole thing was beautifully described.

Jean Day

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading, Jean. Yes, the rain wins out in this encounter. All eventually forgotten. Such is the way with things...

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

'Ships passing in the night' … I read this before, and like Jean, was taken with the description of the setting, but thought to have another look when some had commented!

How little we do see through the windows of the eyes in those momentary encounters, and still we muse. Maybe neither are really caught up in colourless nihilism of thoughts. I hope not! Rhiannon

 

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading, Rhiannon. Of course, you are right and monochrome nihilism is a bit bleak and gothic. I guess it sometimes depends on the mood you are in when you write. This could have been written from a more optimistic place but that's the beauty of art - it's in the eye of the beholder and their interpretation. Thanks again for the thoughtful comments. Paul :)

 

Submitted by celticman on

It's got a noirish feel, whatever that means. 

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading it, CM. Film noir was kinda what was intended in my clumsy way. Thanks again. Paul

 

Submitted by David Kirtley on

I also enjoyed this poem. You described the feeling/situation of strangers passing in the street very effectively, and in a moody way!

Submitted by marandina on

Ah thanks for reading it, David. Paul

 

Submitted by hilary west on

Hi,

I love walking in the rain: this was very evocative inasmuch as I could feel I was there !!!

hilary    smiley

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading it, Hilary. It's nice to have transported you somewhere in my poem. Paul :)