Continual Farewell of Ephemera
Continual Farewell
Your eyes that once never tired of reading my poetry
Are now looking to others for new words, new style;
Your lips that once praised me now drop a standard phrase,
No longer a tender, sincere message of admiration;
The loves of life and nature we once shared
Are dim memories shoved aside, to make room
For negative and traumatic issues of the past;
Your thoughts, once born of love for all creation,
Now turn to unhealthy attachment to negative
People with dangerous motives;
Your thoughts that once shown like the brightest
Stars in the Heavens above, now fall like faint meteors
That fade quickly in the dark.
What I considered a loving, enduring friendship
Is no longer important to you.
I gave you my full abiding love, without condition,
And it is still within my heart,
Yet I know not what I am to you now,
For, no longer do I receive endearments
From you as a friend, just abrupt courtesies.
No hugs have I received for too long,
When I so need them, especially now.
The talks we used to have are now silent,
As silent as death of a songbird.
Instead of love for eternity I feel for you,
I sense a continual farewell from you.
Speak to me, tell me true,
What have I done to turn you away?
Or, was I only an ephemera to you,
Till something new attracted you?
It is time then for us to go our own ways,
And not look back at what could have been.
As my heart is breaking, you are ecstatic,
Hypnotized and controlled into believing
You found truths elsewhere.
~~~~
Author’s Note:
I based this poem on the ancient Greek poets Sapho of Lesbos and Alcaeus of Mytilene, who were lovers contemporaries and friends. Because she was a controversial figure, scholars questioned her sincerity in love, they assumed they knew truths, when only Sapho knew her truths. Sapho committed suicide after she and Alcaeus parted.
© 2017 Phyllis Doyle Burns
I have always liked to write.It is important to me that writing comes from my heart and soul. When writing poetry, if I do not feel a spiritual connection to what I am writing on, I will discard it and go on to something I can connect with on a spiritual level. I live in the moment, I write from the past or beyond the veil. When writing fiction I go with whatever inspires me at the moment - it could be funny, sorrowful, romantic or sometimes done with the use of colloquial language from mountain folk or other cultural regions.
I began writing content online in 2007, starting with BellaOnline - A Voice For Women, where I was the Native American Editor, Folklore & Mythology Editor, and the Appalachian Editor. I also wrote articles forThe Examiner, Daily Two Cents, and Yahoo. I am currently an author on HubPages.
Most of what I write takes a lot of research and I love it. Even if it is a fictional story, I will research for accuracy in whatever it takes to make my characters, their era, their location, etc. become realistic to the reader.
I hope you enjoy my works. Thank you for visiting.
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- My Secluded Mountain Forest Nook - July 24, 2023
- My Cozy Log Cabin in the Woods - July 22, 2023
Phyllis,
Your words are tender, sincere, and sad. Many of us, including myself, speak these same words that you have penned so beautifully.
BTW, his loss.
Thank you, Tamara. I gave these words to Sapho of the distant past, who was greatly misunderstood. Scholars and artists painted images of her based on their personal asssumptions. Glad you enjoyed this piece.
A beautifully penned tragedy, filled with emotive phrasing and hurt for the swaying of love, and the breaking of a heart. Nicely rendered Phyllis.
Thank you, Tony. Sapho was an intelligent, independent woman. Her loss of love and end of life was a tragedy. Thanks for the very kind words.