ONE SINGLE IMPRESSION
JOIE DE VIVRE!
'The Joy of living!' That sounds staid!
But say it in French and you've got it made!
I wonder if 'Le Weekend' sounds pretty good
To the French when it is understood.
Language is strange; some things catch-on;
Others are said but 'Phtt!' they're gone!
'Cul de Sac'! Now there's a phrase!
'Dead-end' was better in many ways,
But someone, somewhere, said 'Cul-de-sac'
And that foreign phrase just never looked back!
An idea that spreads is called a meme,
(Richard Dawkins favourite theme.)
'Waving goodbye' was a meme that spread;
We all followed where someone led.
'Joie-de-vivre' must have sounded right
Having caught the spirit of delight.
So now I say it and so do you!
'The Joy of Living' just will not do.
*
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PHANTOM MEMORIES
Memories elude us.
They are like
Dot-to-dot pictures
And we cannot quite
Join the numbers.
We think we remember,
But the edges of the memory blur.
Photographs deceive.
They fool our memories.
Our brains
Register a picture,
Nothing more.
'Do you remember?'
We say.
But how can he recall
What I recall?
He wasn't there.
Oh, he was in the room,
But he wasn't there in my place,
Looking through my eyes,
Feeling my emotions.
He looked East.
I looked West.
How can we share a memory?
Sometimes a colour does it!
Suddenly, a fabric
Brings everything into focus.
We are there again.
It is unsettling.
Music does it sometimes.
When I hear Paul McCartney's 'Yesterday'
The nostalgia
Overwhelms me.
But I am deluded once again.
Those are his memories,
Not mine.
*
29 comments:
Language is fascinating, isn't it?
And I love the second poem! That ending is perfect!
I love your piece on memories - I've thought along similar lines myself. Sometimes we put so much store in what happened yesterday, when the memory becomes more tangible than reality - these few seconds of now... Oops that's a memory too :)
Yes, Joie De Vivre will do.. and what's wrong if Joy of Living accompanies it.. both together is indeed fun..
Joie de vivre, another word i've learnt which is foreign to me but gives me immense joy of knowing what it means so i went on listing all those simple things that give me joie de vivre!
'but those are his memories, not mine'...this is quite sad Brenda coz I wish that it was both our memories!
good morning dear Brenda! :) have a great week ahead! :)
You certainly found the very essence of language in a beautiful way ! Please have a good new week.
daily athens
The first one was lighthearted and delightful; the second one was deep and thoughtful. Lovely!
I love McCarney's Yesterday as well. Two very outstanding poems!
Loved both. Gave me so much pleasure!
about fish, chips, nothing much else
And do get aboard the Poetry Train every Monday mornings and thereafter!
Just love both of these poems, but especially phantom memories...it is brilliant, and so true...:-)
Thank you for these poems, Rinky. Each is so different from the other. But both equally compelling.
Language is a beautiful thing!
Pamela
I love the way memes are bought in.
I loved both of them but the second one really hits home for me. The memories are starting to get a little blurry but the emotions are right on and as powerful as ever! And btw- songs send me right beck to the memory as well
the first foto set the pace... i had to smile.... thaz so true abt deadend...haha... and then the 2nd foto so different from the first as is yr second poem... dynamite especially the song of yesterday his not yrs... thought provoking and im still smiling... inamorata
Reading the poems was a joy!
What a great pair! Brill!
Your poetry exudes joie de vivre. You have an entertaining way of making important points. And you are right, we don't really share memories with anyone because we always bring our individual selves into the memories too. (I hope that makes sense to you.)
Thoughtful and fun at the same time! love it...
I just love the tribute to language! So true that we like the way things sound when it is in a foreign language.
Enjoyed both of these poems. And "Yesterday" is nostalgic for me, too.
=)
I had never really given sayings from another language another thought. But now I think I will be noticing how much we use them now. In fact I kind of want to start my own : ) Salut!
Dana
What a lovely, poetic stop today on our little journey through Alphabe-Thursday's journey through J.
Your writing is so joyful and amazing.
I am always impressed with your word craft.
You are a true poet.
Thank you for linking.
A+
I always love your words. You are a gift.
I love the picture you posted with the first poem... it made me read it with so much more gusto than I might have otherwise! I really got into it!!
language and communication are such fascinating topics ... and wow, you are one talented person ... some of your words are just beautiful!
The first poem is so much fun, but the second is the one I truly enjoyed more. Truly memories are unique. Wonderful poem.
Lovely poetic words...full of life and imagery!
Blessings & Aloha!
With "Joy" for a middle name, I hope I live up to it! I write a second blog "Joy4Today" dealing with my attempts to choose joy - but it really should be "Joy4theWeek" because I don't write in it daily!
I so enjoyed dancing through your words, as always. And the end of the second poem hit home for me. I think I've lived that moment in time.
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