We begin saying goodbye,
become distracted by
the search through time –
attic, relics, the old street,
a man selling hot pretzels
and peanuts from a cart,
the doughnut truck.
Letters, old photos
tied into square bundles,
the thin ribbon of time
holding memories together,
adding depth to the confusion.
There should be another word.
One that carries the same weight
but is lighter off the tongue,
easier on the ear, that can be thrown
over the shoulder like salt, or rice
for the luck it will bring.
Searching For Goodbye
15 Friday Nov 2013
Posted poems
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Ina said:
This is wonderful. A very strong poem.
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Ronald E. Shields said:
Thank you so much Ina.
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ann said:
*sigh*
so true. really lovely, if quite sad, too.
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Ronald E. Shields said:
maybe dylan said it best “goodbye is too good a word babe, so i’ll just say fare thee well…don’t think twice it’s alright.”
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Ronald E. Shields said:
Reblogged this on Poetry on the run and commented:
Reblogged for dVerse open link night
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brian miller said:
ah yes, goodbye is not the easiest word to say…and i def like the though of something to throw over your shoulder for luck until together again..
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pandamoniumcat said:
Oh yes a lighter word…that would be nice. Goodbyes are so hard, a beautiful poem very well crafted.
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claudia said:
cool how you set the scene with your first stanza..and yes… goodbye is a tough word to say for sure…would love if it had a different, a lighter weight..
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Susan Chast said:
What a fine idea to have a word that provides blessings. I wrote a poem where the goodbye was “But wasn’t it fine!” But that one could get you talking too. It’s from a Ferron song “Ain’t Life a Brook.”
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Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
A goodbye.. one of the hardest word to say.. love the french better … au revoir… gives at least a hope to meet again.
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Tony Maude said:
I really like this poem, especially this line:
the thin ribbon of time
holding memories together
Bjorn is right – au revoir is a much better way to part; we could do with something like that in English, but please not the inane “Have a nice day,” complete with fake smile.
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