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Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Saturday, January 3, 2015

New Year Ghosts

“For last year's words belong to last year's language And next year's words await  another voice.”   T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets
photo by Alina R.

You invited ghosts
to the New Year party
They made the other guests
feel loud and gaudy
with their quiet shadowy presence
We could barely hear ourselves talk
over their humming "Auld Lang Syne"
again and again, like sad chant


Remember 
when that girl wrote in your yearbook
"Plus ça changeplus ça reste la même?"
Well, I've been fighting that truth
ever since

I found new words,
a new voice,
a new sun to orbit
But you opened the attic
and let the ghosts escape


They glued hundreds of ripped pages
back onto the calendars
Tore out all of my bookmarks
so I had to reread from the beginning
They threw frail, faded petals
from old corsages
instead of confetti
And when it came time
to toast the New Year,
the wine had turned to vinegar.

submitted for Imaginary Garden With Real Toads, Bits of Inspiration, Happy New Year

2 comments:

Susie Clevenger said...

It does seem ghosts come when we don't want them. Great take on the prompt. Thanks so much for taking part in the challenge!

brudberg said...

Alas.. The old tend to always come back.. Finding those old ghosts coming can spoil all good intentions.