Black is the Colour
this takes me back to the time
we livcd in paddo as students
all those years ago
you had just discovered counter tenors
you said you would perform with him one day
and you did
you did everything you said
you were ever going to do
ran into you decades later
you had not aged much
but you were unrecognisable
that warm funny person
who used to sing on the stone wall
outside the church waiting for the bus
had disappeared
the rock solid success
had come at a price
the chill and indifference
were palpable
for the first time
i warmed to my failure and began
to cherish my uneventful life
Wild Friday with Saana Rizvi - Poets United
It's strange how people change isn't it? This poem resonates on so many levels. I feel hurt and confusion in your words but also determination and a very strong and kind spirit. Thank you so much for writing to the prompt, Rall ❤️
ReplyDeleteHow vivid you make the change, and make the fame undesirable.
ReplyDeleteI've known people like your subject here. "Uneventful"...I doubt it. The small moments far outnumber the big moments. If we live only for the big moments, there's an awful lot of down time where you are twiddling your thumbs. :)
ReplyDeleteI think big success often comes at a big price. I used to think I want to be rich and famous. At this point, I'd love to be well-off, have my work recognized, but be unrecognizable in a crowd.
ReplyDeleteI love the contrast, and the uneventful life being the more fulfilling. I agree.
ReplyDeleteSometimes an uneventful life can be the most fulfilling thing
ReplyDelete"I warmed to my failure" seeing someone, who in their success, became someone they never were, cold and indifferent. I too would much rather failure and stay as I am than have fame and lose myself entirely.
ReplyDeleteThis poem does a great job of carrying the reader through time. I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteSuccess changes people.Have met a few in real life and they did leave a bad taste in the mouth. You have touched a reality zone.
ReplyDeleteI love the sense of memory and contrast.
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad for both of you, but you will show your feelings in different ways which neither will understand.
ReplyDeleteThe vulnerability and honesty of this resonates with me. I especially enjoyed the last two stanzas.
ReplyDelete"for the first time
ReplyDeletei warmed to my failure and began "...
oh, this was a lovely poem! Heart-wrenching and yet a happy ending.