"Tis better to have loved and lost / than never to have loved at all".
-from the poem "In Memoriam" by Lord Alfred Tennyson
______________________________________________________
A heart is not a thing
To be put in a box
(Close the lid with a clang
Pretend love as one talks)
In order to gain
A “pure”, dried up box of rocks.
Those analogies with tape;
Wilted roses; chewed gum -
They’re patently fake.
Love passionately – don’t become
Paranoid, trying to ape
Impossible examples of ones
Who do not feel, cannot ache,
Focused on duty, stunted emotions.
Repressing one’s soul
Has serious consequences.
When I am old
I want to have romances
That in my mind bubble.
And strings of happiness,
Laughter, tears, success, and troubles.
I will have loved freely
Given away my heart
Often and repeatedly.
And been given for my part
Happiness from memories;
Personal growth off the charts.
Entry #4 in a series of poems inspired by quotes. If you have a favorite quote, feel free to share, and I may use it! (I promise that I am slowly getting around to all your suggestions so far. :) ) This is one I'm not quite happy with parts of. >.>
Comments
:)
I really agree with all the sentiments in here! It is definitely better (in my opinion) to love and to long...rather than repressing your desires in order to "save" your heart. That makes me think of a preserve of pickles, wrinkly and sour. Thanks for this inspiration, and the encouragement to always stay open to love, despite the risk of pain... I, too, want to have "romances / that in my mind bubbles."
:)
This was my favourite bit:
"I want to have romances
That in my mind bubble.
And strings of happiness,
Laughter, tears, success, and troubles."
Goodbye? Oh no, please. Can’t we just go back to page one and start all over again?” – Winnie The Pooh
:)
After I read this, I think it created a domino effect of thoughts in mind... stringing together things I've thought about for a while. The essay I just wrote about "Sleeping Beauty Syndrome" has a lot to do with this poem. :) So thanks for the inspiration!
Welcome!
Wow, I'm honored to have been any sort of inspiration for that amazing essay. And by the way, so many things you said rang true with me, also! It's incredibly hard to break out of that hyper-rigid courting/patriarchal mindset. To this day (and I've been away from it for three years now) I still get panicky at times at the thought of initiating anything with a guy. So, major empathising going on over here.
"Sometimes even to live is courage."
-Seneca
You have some very playful
You have some very playful lines here, such as "Close the lid with a clang
Pretend love as one talks" or
"Those analogies with tape;
Wilted roses; chewed gum -
They’re patently fake."
There are some places where the rhythm feels forced, but keep playing with it--you're on the right track.
Formerly Kestrel