“After all our years have settled like dust . . .”
––okc forgottenman
Ashes and Dust
When that cruel wind
blows against memories
that have settled like dust
on our lives,
what will remain
sealed in our crevasses
––fine furniture that we are
of a bygone age?
What remaining minutes
of a long life of years
will define us then?
A kiss? A child held in arms?
Regrets? Terrors?
In those storerooms
where people sit
stacked in silent cubicles,
what zephyrs whisper through
to stir the embers
of their minds?
Is there music in those currents
or are they the sad
whining winds
that curl over headstones
and lament the dust that settles there?
Life builds us and wears us away.
Like the mountain,
like sand on the beach,
we are not above it all.
No matter how much power
we think we gain,
Nature is a wind that breathes
into us at birth,
then dashes us away.
I wrote this poem three years ago, drawing inspiration from a poem by okc forgottenman . Find his poem Here.
Today’s prompt from Matthew’s Daily Inkling:
It is often said that the most important thing on a gravestone is the dash between the two dates. Who in your family has the most renowned dash — the one who made the most pronounced mark on history?
I see that we are still at the cemetery…
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HA!!!!! Oh, Dolly.. Please blame the prompts. I’m really in a very good mood. Old friends visiting. Dan and I are doing a joint music/poem thing today.. I read stanzas and he cuts in with a song that relates.. so much fun. But, HA!!!!!
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As long as you are having fun, dear friend!
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I read this as news of the death of my dear girlhood friend from all those years ago settles in and around the crevices of my memory. Thank you, Judy. This is a perfect poem for me this afternoon.
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So sorry, Judy, for your loss of your old friend. Glad I’m there with you to deal with it a bit.
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So poignant Judy!
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k- I thought he died for a moment! whew!
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Who did you think died? Sorry to scare you….
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