there were furrows
on her forehead,
disappearing like subway tracks,
lines that climbed out
from her weary dimple
like trains out of City Station;
she was softer
under the naked light bulb,
incandescent matter
poised mid-whirl,
a momentary flicker
in Rumi’s eyes,
an afterthought
caught in the maelstrom
of an incoming chant;
her face translucent,
the edges blurring
into the aura
weaving round her head;
inviting me to read
the empty pages,
words like thoughts
had pulled away
over the years;
i met her
on an empty platform,
a long way from today,
the me that i could be,
standing alone,
with a smile
and a purple umbrella;
in her bag-
the book I am writing,
weathered and lonesome;
she watched me run
towards the 09.55,
shaking off raindrops
from an imagined ache,
her wrinkled hands
held my arm
for just a moment,
not so fast,
her trembling voice said,
not so fast, my dear,
go craft me
in your own time,
one unsure step
trailing another,
just feel the lines
cross through your heart,
they will come,
for now
just slow down
and mind the gap.
Beautiful, Rajani. So well crafted. A graceful write, my friend
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Too kind… thank you. (Feels weird to read stuff I wrote years ago 🙂 )
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Reblogged this on THOTPURGE.
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I love the idea of meeting ourselves, being greeted by our destinies, and the instruction to take our time, to mind the gap… to feel the lines crossing our heart. We truly can’t leap from here to there in an instant. Without the gap– without the life in between– we could never become the person we are…
Peace
Michael
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Thanks Michael… true ..without the journey and without the mistakes that make or break us!
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Ah this is more subtle and deep than it seems….layers of meaningfulness!!!
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Thank you..appreciate your comments.
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this alluring story captivates me like a beautiful butterfly floating wistfully in front of my face. I want to touch it yet its wonder is beyond my reach. Such a gift you have placed in “the gap.”
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Thanks TioStib. I did want the “gap” to reflect on both the train tracks as well as their ages. Am so glad you picked up on it… Appreciate it so much!
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This is absolutely beautiful. I love your descriptions, the Rumi reference, and that glimpse of the future you with wise advice. I love it all and this is my favorite of yours.
Happy New Year and good luck with your book.
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Thanks so much Myrna for your kind comment. I just prefer to write in the first person though it’s almost never personal…no book I’m afraid! A very happy new year to you too!!
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We miss so much when we are rushed. I love this tale you have woven.
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Thank you 🙂
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Everything happens for a reason, and often ‘missed trains’ enforce us to just ‘stand and stare’ when we would otherwise be rushing headlong through another manic day. A lovely piece of writing. 🙂
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Agree…Thanks so much Paul 🙂
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To miss the train is not too bad when one can try and help another in a trying situation. Old persons need the space that the young finds normal!
Hank
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This reminds me of me, telling myself to “breathe, just breathe,”
Elizabeth
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Thanks for stopping by Elizabeth!
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This is beautifully written … a nuanced and layered piece, wonderfully rendered.
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Thanks so much Wendy.
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that was brilliant!
🙂
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Thank you ZQ !!
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Oh I love her wise advice………that is what all of us older folk would tell the young……
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Thanks Sherry 🙂
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I met my novel in a theatre festival. You will never know how happily the words of your poem entered my heart like a glass of refreshing water.
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Thanks Susan… am glad it reminded you of your own work!! Have a lovely year.
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Interesting and something we always claim to never have, time to slow down enjoy the moment things will happen in their own time.
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Thank you 🙂
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Like the observation, the way of our feelings and approaches, intentions and actions, the way of life.
Nice comment by Mary about meeting yourself in future…otherwise I’d thought about some deep relationship …anyway, we always need to take time to observe/prepare for next act of our life/play.
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Thanks so much for visiting and reading!
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Sometimes in life it is best to slow down.
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Thanks for stopping by!
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I love the description of the woman as you detail her in the future and then she collides with herself in the present time and beseeches herself to slow down. You executed this wonderfully…what a great perspective! Happy New Year, Thot!
Gayle ~
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Thanks Gayle… Have a great year with lots of poetry!!
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What wonderful moments happen when we least expect it…I love the message here and your words’
‘go craft me
in your own time,’
they spill so beautifully upon the page.
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Thank you..appreciate your comment very much.
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What a wonderful poem. I love how this is really all about memory, and trying to piece memory together. I especially admire that image of the sad, weather-worn book. Very nice!
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Thanks so much…glad you liked it.
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We need to pause sometimes in this journey of life…so beautifully penned….
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Thanks Sumana
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This is deliciousness, from beginning to end. I particularly love the last two stanzas, their implication… their promise… ♥
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Thank you Magaly 🙂
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i hear you ! i find myself screaming ‘ slow down clown!’ to myself a lot these days
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Ha ha…. Maybe you are at the pace right for you… Thanks Suyash.
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loved the imagery in the poem.
indeed, we will never know what we could be…
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Thanks you..:)
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oh I so liked this, excellent imagery throughout, I particularly liked:
“an afterthought
caught in the maelstrom
of an incoming chant;”
and, “go craft me
in your own time,” – very well written, paced and quite the story you’ve crafted. nice
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Thanks so much…enjoyed your writing..look forward to reading more.
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It seems that the narrator of the poem has met herself on that train platform. (If I understood correctly.) Enjoyed the magical realism…and the book she is writing will get written!
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Thanks so much Mary…absolutely…that’s how I imagined it…the future colliding with the present.
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This kind of reminded of a Japanese film I saw last year “Garden of Words”. These accidental meetings are sometimes very precious and stay with us like – forever.
Happy New Year, Thotpurge.
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Thanks for stopping by 🙂
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This is absolutely riveting 🙂
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Thanks Sanaa..
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‘The me that I could be’ is wise but eerily sure. I would try and catch that train if I were you 🙂
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But she had the unwritten book…which makes her plausible??? 🙂
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The twilight zone induces plausibility indeed, but books don’t write themselves. Frost had his promises and miles, you have your trains 🙂
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You have a point… But it does get me and Frost into the same sentence 🙂 Happy new year … Keep your muse safe and happy…we love to read your poems.
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Likewise and looking forward to your poems. Thanks.
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made me think of a friend,deceased now, who used to say “Stop and smell the roses”, yes sometimes we are nudged to slow the pace and with good sense
A Happy Creative year 2016 to you
much love…
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A very happy new year to you too Gillena..
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I loved every image and minute of this poem..sometimes it is good to step back and look..be mindful of that gap..perhaps it is in the gaps that we can truly be? Also loved that purple umbrella and weathered book…a visual and imaginative feast
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Thanks so much Jae Rose…glad you liked it.
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go craft me
in your own time,
one unsure step
trailing another
Your description of the scene is so perfectly detailed. It made me think of the moments in life that arrest us, make us hold still for a few minutes and put more effort into our next step.
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Thank you Kerry…
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Thank you for sharing my poem on your blog 🙂
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So evocative – it could be on any subway, underground or metro in the world. That first stanza really spoke to me and the final lines are perfect.
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Thanks so much Kim.
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slow down indeed.. interesting how the poem progresses and I like the images.
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Thanks Natasa.
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What a great word picture this is. Slow down otherwise the beauty of life will be missed.
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Thanks so much 🙂
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Winderful what you can find when you meet people. Maybe missing a train is not so bad.
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Thanks for stopping by Bjorn…happy new year. 🙂
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