In the summer of our lives
When eternity stretched
Before us like a lazy cat
And fall stayed hidden
In the dark corners
Of bureau drawers
Housewives were just something
Our mothers became ...
Never those of us who played ball
Spent months perfecting our pitch
Felt the sting in the palm of a well-worn glove
Choosing to remain ignorant
For as long as possible
Subtracting years ahead
From the now of it
We spurned the future
Chewed the rind of a bitter lemon
S.E.Ingraham©
We didn't know it then, and I guess we never can, but, kids don't truly know or realise how simple their lives really are. I watch my teen now, at 16 thinking she knows all there is to know about everything and think, one day, maybe, you'll discover that there is so much to learn, every day. This is lovely, took me back to my own carefree days:)
ReplyDeleteYour poem brought back that childhood innocence we all had, believing that life would last forever and that we would never move past the summer of our lives. I remember those summer softball games, years of them; those years went so fast. I guess it is good for children to be 'ignorant' for a while of what lies ahead!
ReplyDeleteSharon- I've missed you my friend! I always love reading your poetry and this piece is among my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI REALLY like where you went with this wordle and how you used the words. Excellent.
ReplyDeletehttp://hoofprintsinmygarden.wordpress.com/2012/07/07/the-sting-of-eternity/
The images of a childhood ball game were palpable. Bittersweet....and well-done.
ReplyDeleteWonderful writing! Favorite lines: "Housewives were just something Our mothers became" and "We spurned the future Chewed the rind of a bitter lemon."
ReplyDeleteYour poem reminded me of two things, Innocense is Ignorance and Ignorance is Bliss. If we were honest, most of us would like to return to that too short summer of our youth. Really good description and well thought out. I like how you used "rind". That one almost did me in,
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Those long summer days and games were also lessons. All that play makes for a well-rounded adult. I very much enjoyed reading your piece today.
ReplyDeleteLove this. Love the structure that leads us through the story; love the images; love the theme of the piece. I remember those days.
ReplyDeleteFantastic write, Sharon. The first two stanzas are stunners. The sounds in "dark corners" and "bureau drawers" are beautiful together.
ReplyDeleteA lovely write -
ReplyDeleteLove your last stanza.
ReplyDeleteChoosing to remain ignorant
For as long as possible
Subtracting years ahead
From the now of it
We spurned the future
Chewed the rind of a bitter lemon
I especially like the first and last lines. "Chewed the rind of a bitter lemon".
Also love your background theme on your website! Its quite intriguing.
Hmm..."Choosing Now" as a title of such a reflective piece makes me feel like the speaker is enjoying the "autumn" (or "winter") of life.
ReplyDeleteI found myself reading your poem again and again...such a contentment in it.
You've painted quite the vignette, my friend. The bitter rind is sweetened ever so by your words so touchingly written. I love it.
ReplyDeleteSharon, what can I say that hasn't already been said. This is lovely.
ReplyDeletePamela
Awe do I have to grow up...how about a compromise? Hey even a Grama gets to play doesn't she? I was and will always be a 'Tom-boy'. One of my middle names is 'Rebel' - But, I do so enjoy learning something new everyday, especially now that I have the time to do it.
ReplyDeleteI'm here:
http://julesgemsandstuff.blogspot.com/2012/07/sw-64-wordle-diamond-in-rough.html
This certainly takes me back to warm childhood summers that did seem to go on forever. And I can't remember that it ever rained! Beautiful use of the words.
ReplyDeleteSharon, what a wonderful poem. So true about never knowing in youth.
ReplyDeleteSharon- this is written with the confidence of years. Absolutely a fantastic and strong write. From the lazy cat and dark corners, to the well worn glove and the rind of bitter lemon.
ReplyDeleteWow - colour me embarrassed, did not realize that people were even making their way to this blog when I spotted it over at Poets United ... so first, I apologize to everyone who made the effort to come over here, read and comment - thank you so much; I really do appreciate it. And second, I apologize to Poets United - I thought they hadn't included this blog in their blog-roll which obviously is not the case. Now, I need to pop another poem up here so it doesn't become inactive. Thanks again everyone.
ReplyDelete