Shadows I have seen
Brian S. Clifton 1975 (Ohio)
Is it a silhouette of memory,
Or a shadow I have seen—
In the brief moments
'twixt waking and sleep,
in the small space which intervenes?
The fleeting seconds or less
(ah! can such things be?)
When confusion still lingers—
and life's real that dreams’
scenes blur strangely together.
When I shall open my eyes
to find her beside me;
behold the shape of her face
and the visage of her smiling.
Or if instead I am wakened
by past times' laughter,
my children playing outside—
while my mistakes lay ahead
yet unmade, not looming behind.
The remnants of my memories
take form as reveries
preventing me from forgetting
what I've been advised to dismiss.
Yet still, I am unconvinced...
How can a reverie or a dream
not be thought real but a lie
when it is in such moments
I still dare to feel alive...
or dare to believe I am alive.
About this poem
I often wake up forgetting my children are grown and expect to hear them laughing and playing outside or down the hall until I remember when and where I am... and for a moment, I am sad. This poem is inspired by that feeling.
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Written on March 18, 2023
Submitted by Locutus2999 on March 18, 2023
Modified by Locutus2999 on March 24, 2023
- 55 sec read
- 241 Views
Quick analysis:
| Scheme | AXBXX XAXXC XAXD ECEEE FFDXE XXBGG |
|---|---|
| Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
| Characters | 863 |
| Words | 182 |
| Stanzas | 6 |
| Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 4, 5, 5, 5 |
2 fans
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"Shadows I have seen" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/154351/shadows-i-have-seen>.
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