Sunday, August 9, 2015

Missing (Medley)

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Missing (Medley)


I. Should You Miss Me


Should you conclude, you miss me, and come around,
I'd likely ask you to corroborate, and expound.
As a general rule, what we had, I tend to re-live.

Still, I'd indubitably question if this is bona fide;
not to imply this is spurious. I can't say you ever lied.
If I appear nebulous, I don't know what I have to give.


Knowing you, as I do, I can't surmise you would waffle.
You are tentative, on your best days. I know the drill.
At this conjecture, I may not be so open to allegation.

To miss me at this stage, could be apocryphal or sincere;
a precarious situation, as I ask myself, why you are here,
and should I be equivocal, to the time you were the one?


II. Might I Miss You


If circumstances warrant, falling back into that phase,
tenable. Temporary break taken from a never ending maze,
like any good hamster, worth his oats, I miss the wheel.

Freestanding, I am prone to settle for low hanging fruit
from low end providers, (easily convinced to follow suit.)
Too rustic to be provincial, I turn and run... full heel.


Hovering, hesitant, viewing both ends of the spectrum,
conceding, my comfort zone was always, under your thumb.
Concealed among your travel luggage, along for the ride,

concomitant, eventual excess baggage, like a back order,
caught up in customs, dutiful, stranding still, boarder
placed to the side, no where to run and no where to hide.


III. Missing


The real truth be told, I am at fault for apprehension.
Coming unraveled at the seams, for me, is convention,
with no one here to talk to but myself. Time to disperse

nonsensical notions, unfounded, coveted by these voices,
in order to afford clear thought, to make better choices;
a mind uncluttered, in hopes of better as opposed to worse.


I miss you making hard line stands, then asking what I think;
how when you are feminine and clingy, takes me to the brink;
your sincere queries, mostly the one, "How've you been?"

I miss when you have blind faith in me, to persevere,
but little patience when I persist, with my way not clear.
Mostly, I miss the here and now, not being as it was then.


Michael Todd (2015)

77 comments:

  1. *Sighs* This may be my favorite from you, as it's something that resonates not just with me, but I suspect on a level with anyone who reads it. This truly is a masterpiece <3

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    1. I appreciate that, Dahlia... I have been sitting on this poem for a while. Each time I would consider posting, I would assume the drowning effect was too great, and I would pull it back... Maybe you are right, and it will resonate with a reasonable amount of folks.

      ON, and for the record... Nice FRISTING !!!

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    2. Yay me! lol! I can't remember the last time if fristed anyone.

      And this poem is too great to not post ;)

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  2. Beautiful masterpiece 💖

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  3. Quite eloquent Michael! The truths woven within are soul wrought and felt.
    I received a momentous effect rather than a 'drowing' !!!!

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    1. Glad this works for you, Andrew, and equally glad you were able to stay afloat... Thanks for visiting.

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  4. Myke this is wonderful, so enjoyable to read and how you constructed it. Easy to read and to feel. Yes, wonderful.

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    1. Thank you, Alba Leigh... While this was not fun to write, in terms of content, the physical rhyme scheme was a blast. I may, or may not, attempt to do it another like this.

      Glad you came to visit, as always.

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  5. "like any good hamster, worth his oats, I miss the wheel."

    Now doesn't THAT say it all........
    I had a blast from the past message me this morning, I was lessoned enough to not respond! Sighs e

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    1. Man, that takes a great deal more discipline that I ever want to possess...
      Glad you liked that line. I got a little tickled when that one came to me.

      Thanks for stopping by, Eric.

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  6. Nicely lamented and very well expressed...your emotional words of such longing, pain and regret are very relatable Myke. Nice poem. :) ~Christine W

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    1. I spend a great deal of time in a land of lament, Christine. My favorite movie is "Groudhog Day." ... Cue the Sonny & Cher in the night, and hope for a better day ahead...

      Thank you for your wonderful overview. It is greatly appreciated.

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  7. Yours is the fourth poem I have read in this week in this type of venue. And it is the best so far. You had me from the start to the very last concluding lament..Kudos
    Stormu

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    1. Thanks, Stormy Gail, for your kind words. I miss kudos. Those were fun, back in the day... I miss a lot from back in the day, so to speak.

      Glad you came to visit, as always.

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  8. This is a different kind of emotion and different feel to your writing. Antique romantic feel about it.

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    1. I got caught between shade and shadow, Ellie. That never ends well.

      Thanks so much for reading and visiting. I appreciate that.

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  9. This is (to date) is the record holder for making me go back and re-read the passage for the sheer joy of the words (13 times when I lost count). My hat's off to the poet laureate of Tennessee!

    A turtle on the river

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    1. Thanks, Michael... This alone was worth the price of admission. Seriously, I am glad you had some fun with this. That is all I could ever hope for when I hit the post button. You have me grinning like a chicken eating briers.

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  10. I love this ... the holding back and moving forward of it.. a wonderful work Mike... thank you so much

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    1. Thank you, Katherine... Yes, there were a great many moments of hesitation on this poem. I will admit, it was not written in a day or two. It took three, and there was time in between.

      I am glad you came to visit.

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  11. Wow! You out-did yourself with this oh-so-wonderfully expressed poem. It speaks volumes to me.

    Irene

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    1. Aw, thanks, Irene. You always say the nicest things. I am happy this piece resonated with you, and in a good way. :)

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  12. Apt simile, “like any good hamster, worth his oats, I miss the wheel.” This line stands out, as you show an image that captures the essence of the message.
    Life is cyclical more than linear, and that reality is well expressed here.
    Thank you so much, Michael, for sharing this.

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    1. More cyclical than linear... I have never heard this explained so well, Debra... Thanks so much for visiting. Things are just better when you are in the mix here.

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  13. i wish i was when i wished i was what i am now

    DANG had to use the dictionary o brave one!! <3

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    1. Hi, Brenda! ... Your enthusiasm is unyielding, wielding wonderful results...
      You have me smiling. :)

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  14. Exquisite and pensive, this is just full of raw emotion. It is so good to read your poetry again. This is straight from the heart, I can tell...and that is always a wonderful thing!!! HUGS<3

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    1. Thank you, Colleen... I just got caught up in a "What just happened?" sort of scene, and this poem was a result. Let it serve as a remind of the powerful effects of attrition, if nothing else.

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  15. Wow Michael! I see you have hit here. I am particularly drawn to the missing section. Too many times we let things slip through our fingers due to our fears or misgivings. Time is one thing that won't wait. Keep your talent shining my friend! You are a light in the writing community.

    Many blessings,
    Karen

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    1. Karen... You just don't know how right you are. It is as if you were there.

      Thanks for your uplifting words. They are never taken for granted. I promise.

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  16. I think you have looked into my mind and heart. I true writer that has written down words that have not been expressed like this. I thank you so much for sharing....they are truly wonderful words.

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    1. Thank you, Denise. I am breathing a sigh of relief that this connected with you. I hoped it would. Thank you, oh so much.

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    2. You nailed it that's all I can say! :-)

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  17. Words fraught with anguish and indecision,
    Almost to the point of derision,
    Hoping a solution comes to light,
    But never finding resolution, quite.

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    1. I never envisioned a situation that would call for resolution, Sandra, that I would admit to... But, I knew all along that time would come.

      That is some fancy riffing... I love it more than you can know. You are the only person who will do that with me. I fear it is becoming a lost art.

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    1. Thanks, Michael... You have been there, too. Heck, we all have. Some just recover faster than others. Eventually, we all get there.

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  19. I have been missing your writing Mike.
    I can relate to this, as in, every word.
    Well constructed dear friend!!!

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    1. Thank you, Teresa... Always happy to see you here or at your haven. Thank for coming by. Glad you enjoyed this piece. I will try to not stay away quite as long again.

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  20. Wonderfully written Myke. A tinge of sadness but it always the darker emotions that create such great pieces as this one.

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    1. I get what you are saying about the darker emotions being a guiding light here, Laura. You are really onto something. I did not realize the extent of this poem as I was writing it, piece by piece, over a few weeks. However, trying to read it back now is... not fun.

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  21. Very deep-emotional. Written from lifes experiences. I feel like you were down a well and then were rescued by the light. Loved it

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    1. Pretty good analogy on that well part, Valerie. When can I expect that ray of light? ... Seriously, thanks so much for visiting. That was very kind of you.

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  22. I have missed your work and am so very glad to find it this morning. You're so very talented. Eloquent and powerful.

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    1. Thank you, Barbi-Kay. Glad you made it by for this.

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  23. Love it, Sir.

    Not only the emotion and the questioning, but the rhythm to this whole thing has a classic jazz spoken word quality to it. The back beats of Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones.

    Bone chillin' Daddy-O :)

    -slj

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    1. It is good to know I have written something I can snap my fingers to, as the beat rolls on, down the hill... Can we have an upright bass with this, Stephen?

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  24. This is a subject most of us can relate to.You've expressed the gamut of emotions so well, Myke. Kudos! The hamster missing the wheel is a great analogy. Nice to see you publishing again.

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    1. Thanks for sharing a roller coaster ride with me, Debbie. If you are like me, you want to get back on the track and go again. :)

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  25. You are missing from me.

    https://youtu.be/9AEoUa0Hlso

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    1. Oh, I am never really far away from you, Sallon. I am your umbrella in a tornado. :)

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  26. epic write and love the venue , always a pleasure to read your offerings !!

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    1. Thanks much Linda. You are always so supportive.

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  27. Why must you always break my heart...

    I could go on and on about this one, but I cannot say more than what has already been said .
    Love, Mimi

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    1. Mimi... the last heart I would ever break is yours. Honest.

      I am all kinds of happy to see you here, but you already know that.

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  28. The feelings flow, the hurt, the irony, the loneliness.
    And how these feelings go on after it's over and the mind
    still reaches for the clues of what happened...it's a wonderful
    write Michael.

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    1. These notions can bring about difficult moments, Deanna, when we are clueless as to what all went wrong. But, on occasion when we know all the facts, and can clearly follow a time line, that makes it all the more difficult a pill to swallow. Granted, I can swallow a pill better than others, but still...

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  29. I once saw a spanish film about a painter of nature, who wanted to make a painting of the pear tree in the backyard. But as he was working on it, day after day, the tree slowly changed, bit by bit. The pears grew bigger, and more heavy, and this caused the branches to bend more too. With thin rope and wire, he tried to pull the branches back up. To reconstruct the initial pear tree, the way it ought to be. But then the light became different too as the summer was progressing... and so on. At some point, I guess you have to give up on that perfect image from the past that's still inside your head... Lovely piece, Sir Myke!

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    1. Ruggi... That is, without doubt, the greatest, and most appropriate analogy for this poem... Seriously, the more I try to repair things, the more damage I tend to do. It is a fault line that persists with me.

      Thank you very much, Sir Ruggi.

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  30. Wow, that last line. This spoke deeply to me. But I bet you knew it would. :)

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    1. There are entire time lines lost in that last line, Donna. We all have them, at one time or another. Thanks for visiting. Glad you did.

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  31. I read this and could have sworn I commented but did not find "me" here.
    I thought this was an exceptional write Mike & it brought up feelings I know I have felt. Sometimes things don't seem to work out as things unravel and yet in the "bigger picture " all is happening as it should❤️

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    1. Doris... I understand where you are coming from and subsequently, I know full well that everything I highlight here in this humble little rhyme set was inevitable. As for the big picture, I have more to be thankful than I can ever express. I got to witness miracles.

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  32. Wonderfully penned once again Michael. You have such a wonderful engagement of readers, fellow authors and poets who so highly identify with your voice through your words. We share a passion that takes us back quite a few years to our days on other sites, under different life circumstances ever-changing and still here we are! Here you are in Medley!

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    1. Don... What you have alluded to, and touched on quite nicely, is pretty much the basis for this poem. The thought of going back is overwhelmingly appealing, until I remind myself, there is no place to return to.

      Thanks so much for stopping by, Brother. Always a blast to have you in the house.

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  33. Such a powerful poem - beautifully constructed! Great, evocative theme. Loss is always painful: we fear it, we hear and feel it even when it is not obvious to anyone else...loss is the castration of a part of ourselves and, even if we witness our amputation, we'll continually be haunted by the phantom limb that sticks with us.

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    1. Great analogy, Lana, especially the part about being continually haunting. I was kind of hoping that haunting aspect would be permanent.

      Thank you so much for visiting. :)

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  34. So guilty...always on the edge of one's vision I tend to forget to engage. Ah, but life sometimes fails to understand my mood. Good ink!

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    1. I love what you say about engaging, Barbara. Blink once and loss focus, blink twice and a moment that matters is gone.
      Your moods are magnificent.

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  35. this was beautiful Scrumplet. I loved it Lia

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  36. the heart rendering emotion flows from each word straight to the readers heart!!
    great piece, Myke

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  37. A wonderful succession of expressions Michael...beautifully reminiscent, heartwarming, movingly affectionate.

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