whoever she is

you’ll happen upon
the most exquisite beauty
that can’t be sustained

tomorrow we mourn
all the beauty that evades
our senses today

I’m never surprised
to see pain and beauty share
the same DNA

Comments

• January 16, 2010, susan writes: lovely
• January 17, 2010, howard writes: thank you, Susan. the more i experience, the truer it seems.
• January 22, 2010, PJ writes: There's definitely a lot of truth to this.
  :)
• February 1, 2010, cheryl e gordon aka Muffyjo writes: the positive & the negative, the light and the dark, the pain & the beauty .... tied together by the same DNA. Love this mini poem. Great analogy.
• February 1, 2010, howard writes: thanks, Cheryl!

and pupils still dancing
in league with her smile
like she was still breathing -
- not frozen in time.

it left me to wonder
what must it be like
to bear such a hunger
and shine such a light?

i wanted to ask her
what lingered inside -
- what flame lit the pilot
that shone in her eyes.

in dreams i still travel
through decades gone by
to beg for an answer
she’ll never confide;

she only informs me
it’s no good to try,
however i chase her,
she’ll never be mine.

*
This is one of many poems I’ve been scribbling for the past couple weeks — all of them with the same title.

I got stuck on the line “dreaming of Irish girls” after waking up from a dream, and I somehow convinced myself there was a poem or haiku to be written. After the first dozen or so drafts, most from completely different angles, I still didn’t have one unifying concept beyond the title. A couple are more traditionally romantic. Some (like this one) are more sad and wistful, focused on an imagined muse that’s out of reach. This one is about a photo taken in the early 1930s, and me wondering about the incongruity and mystery of a smile during hard times.

I got a little stuck on the rhyme scheme as well, but that’s okay. I’m probably not done with it yet anyway.

Comments

• December 28, 2009, EllenS writes: this is very lovely. Good job.
• December 28, 2009, howard writes: thanks Ellen. so the tone felt right to you?
• December 28, 2009, apreziosi writes: For a little inspiration (perhaps) listen to Adrian Legg's "The Irish Girl." The best I can do for you is a live YouTube version - unless of course, you have the CD.
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRUVl15XF_k
• December 28, 2009, howard writes: thanks, Anthony -- i don't have that one, so i appreciate the heads up
• December 29, 2009, PJ writes: Nice. Definitely wistful.
• December 29, 2009, howard writes: thank you. glad you think so
• December 29, 2009, susan writes: I loved this.
  
  Very Happy New Year to you as well.
• December 29, 2009, howard writes: thank you Susan -- your compliments carry a lot of weight with me. and i hope your new year exceeds expectations.
• December 30, 2009, Omni writes: Very nice!! You keep getting better at this!! I'm glad you're still posting 'em!! xo
• December 31, 2009, howard writes: thank you, Omni -- it's great to hear from you after all this time. glad you're still reading, and glad you liked it. hope the new year treats you well!
• January 5, 2010, Al Denton writes: Very nice, indeed. Beautifully haunting, paints a great image!

This used to be the Texaco station where I filled up the gas tank when I first started driving. It closed some time ago, and either the owners or the folks in the community opted to turn the old service station structure into a mural. I’m not sure why, but I like it.

Comments

• July 1, 2009, Anthony writes: Around here, they paint old service stations grey - for some reason. I like this better.
• July 2, 2009, howard writes: I've noticed that phenomenon in Jersey, but I didn't think it was an official protocol. now it's got me wondering. whatever the case, I agree -- this does have a slightly more positive effect on my senses.