Saturday, October 1, 2011

Coming Round


IMAGINARY GARDEN
asks us to picture the Surreal
and supplies the illustration.

COMING ROUND

Where am I?
Sssh! You're quite safe.
Where am I?
You're in hospital.
You've had an accident.
I can't see!
You have bandages on your eyes.
But I can see Helen!
Helen!
Where are you?
Where is Helen?
Quiet now.
I hurt.
Just for a while.
I remember now!
That bright light!
That pole!
That....nothing.
Butterflies.....
We had a picnic.
Where is Helen?
There was a door....
Helen, coming through the door.
Where is Helen?
It's all in your mind.
Try to sleep.
But is Helen all right?
Helen.........
Helen.................
Helen.................................................
That's better.
*

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A POEM FOR CELEBRANTS

This life we lead is full of broken promises,
So make just one and only one this day.
Promise to do your best
Forget about all the reast!
Cast all those other other promises away.
*
Your 'best' won't be perfection, that is certain;
You'll slide and stumble as the years go by.
You'll find out very soon
That you can't ask for the moon,
And all that you can promise is 'I'll try.'
*
Don't falter at initial imperfections
On your part or your partner's here today.
Don't give-up too easily,
For it very well may be
That you're throwing something pretty good away.
*
Keep at it! Make each day a new beginning,
And you'll find your life will take care of the rest.
And, who knows, you may find
You've created ties that bind,
And if you have, my dears, you've passed the test!
*

5 comments:

Kerry O'Connor said...

Wow.... Your reply to the surreal challenge is chilling! You have told an entire story in those lines and it's a heart-breaker. Those surreal moments when memory and reality are out of synch have been so well-captured here. Thank you for sharing your work on Real Toads.

Liz Rice-Sosne said...

Coming Round is an interesting take on the surreal. You have done a good job of making the reader sort of "plow through" a surreal experience that you have made another live through. I like it.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

A really powerful write.......so vividly told. Well done!

Mary said...

Whew, by the end of your poem I was breathless! Nice write.

Susie Clevenger said...

Wow! I certainly can relate to this...I had a severe car accident in 2006 that resulted in being knocked unconscious. When I started to regain consciousness I didn't know where I was, how I got there, and was temporarily blind from head trauma...

This poem is very "real" for me!