“African Love Story” for dVerse Poets

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African Love Story

In this day and age
Almost everyone has a tropical love story.

Show of hands–
How many here?

There was a war.  Danger.
And there were disapproving fathers
And careers.
And yes, I know that some
Love stories survive them all.
But ours didn’t.
And he didn’t.

So just for a year and a few months
We were in love in a warm climate.
A torn love story with a sad ending
With me as its only living remnant.

Imagine yourself
In that story
Full of hormones and atmosphere

It is a meditation remembering
Sand and moonlight under the Southern Cross.
Or cocks crowing before you fell asleep
Long rolling nights in a village
Where almost no one spoke your language.

Perhaps you were a prisoner of love
As I was years ago.
Non-protesting, dizzy and dumb for passion.

Would I have stayed for love if I’d known
It was the whole business of love I’d leave behind,
And not just my beloved?

Would you?

 

 

The dVerse prompt is ‘Where Does Love Go?”

21 thoughts on ““African Love Story” for dVerse Poets”

    1. lifelessons's avatarlifelessons Post author

      Right. So many seem to have forgotten that love is a way of life…not just a feeling between two people. Would that more of our leaders realized this, but thankfully, more of our population seems to be demonstrating it.Hope this is true at election time.

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  6. kim881's avatarkim881

    I enjoyed your African love story, Judy: the conversational tone in the short lines and direct address, which drew me into the story itself, being in a ‘torn love story with a sad ending with me as its only living remnant’ – love that metaphor! And love didn’t leave; it was left behind.

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  12. shaun tenzenmen's avatarshaun tenzenmen

    Love may not survive, but the story does.

    Does the bittersweet ending imply that you opted not to love (someone else) ever again?

    The final question is a nice invitation for the reader to sit with their own choices too. Excellent Judy 👏

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    1. lifelessons's avatarlifelessons Post author

      No, I did meet someone 13 years later and we married.. and I had several love affairs between but none that lasted. Then, when my husband died, it again took me 13 years before I fell in love again. But every love has been so different from the rest. I put off reading my husband’s lifetime collection of journals until a few years ago and he had written in one of them that he thought Andy had been the love of my life, but I wish he had told me this, because in fact he got that idea from poems I’d written before I met my husband and I didn’t, in fact, love him more than my husband. Sad, sad.

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      1. shaun tenzenmen's avatarshaun tenzenmen

        “But every love has been so different from the rest.”

        Yes. The love I have for/with my wife may not be as exciting (now) as some of those previous short fiery bursts. This feels better.

        That is a difficult situation, when you cannot talk about it with the other person any more.

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  14. Helen's avatarHelen

    Well, well ~~ for me it was Bay of Islands, New Zealand and fellow named Sam. I was the one who had to leave, return to US, Visa ready to expire. Your beautifully crafted poetry resurrected a ton of memories.

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