Tuesday 7 October 2014

POETRY JAM - IF I WERE...

“Never regret anything you have done with a sincere affection; nothing is lost that is born of the heart.” - Basil Rathbone

Poetry Jam this week has as its theme the phrase “If I Were…”. My contribution below:


Second Chances


If I were to be born again,

I’d choose once more,
To suffer through the birth that almost robbed me of my life,
Even before my life began;
For all that passed, and I grew strong.

If I were to live another childhood,

I’d choose once more,
To live through my tortured years
Of pain and suffering;
For all that passed, and I grew resilient.

If I were to be young again,

I’d choose once more,
The same wretched adolescence
When days were long and nights sleepless;
For all that passed, and I grew wise.

If I were to fall in love again,

I’d choose once more,
To love you, and only you
Even if that caused me more woe than pleasure
And even if my heart still bears the scars
Of that bitter-sweet experience.

Yet if I were to love again,

I’d choose this time,
A calmer sentiment, not a burning passion,
A sweeter, more benign affection,
Whose long-lasting ardour gently warms, assuages
And whose tender care will make me age with delight.

22 comments:

  1. Tsk...'fraid not Nicholas. The passion and ardour never goes away. You are stuck with it. You will have to leave the felt check slippers and hot chocolate before bed for your reincarnation in another life:) As always another lovely heartfelt thought provoking poem.Well done !

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  2. ah.. we so dearly love our lives and also love to be a bit wiser :)

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  3. I am glad you distinguish between "falling in love" and "loving". Perhaps we need to "fall in love" in order to learn to "love". Wonderful poem.

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  4. I enjoyed this journey through life, Nick. I have often thought about whether I would follow the same path a second time. I have concluded I would. As you showed in easy stanza, in every experience (even the difficult) there is a way that one grows. And in your last stanza you show the point of all of the lessons learned...we then have the ability to use what we have learned to make our decisions for the next part of life. I enjoyed thinking through this poem.

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  5. This is a very good poem, Nick. Mostly I think I would probably make the same broad choices. I agree with you and Mary however that life has taught us a few lessons and there are things I do better because of these lessons. Loving is indeed one of them.

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  6. it says much that you would choose to follow similar pathes...this was a cool way to learn a bit more about you as well and your journey...i would be afraid if i changed something that i might end up a far worse place...

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  7. Isn't it wonderful, really, to find that you are content in where you have landed?

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  8. I love how you capture the true meting of love and the power of trust. Excellent poem.

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  9. your contentment is amazing, and quite a delight to read
    have a good Wednesday

    much love...

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  10. I loved this Nick. It always causes me anxiety when I think about how I would relive my life--things I might choose to change might have so many consequences that I could not foresee and then I might turn out not to be me. Gentle love is indeed a gift.

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  11. To live and learn and love, that is the purpose of life is it not? Beautifully expressed, as always.

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  12. Nice I like the progression of this ending with the yearning for true, mature love. Really good write.

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  13. This resonates with me at such a deep level. So so lovely.

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  14. I admire your insights & reflections ~ For me, I would choose another way, another road, just to see if I will end up the same or maybe different from where I am ~ Have a good week ~

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  15. A beautiful piece, Nicholas - with a lot of ancient wisdom in there. One of my favorites of yours, I think.

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  16. Truly lovely! Wonderful last stanza!

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  17. A second time around is not a bad thing. One would rather go through them again despite the unsavory happenings before. There will be better anticipation obviously! Great lines Nicholas!

    Hank

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  18. Beautiful poem. I love the last stanza!

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  19. beautiful poem Nicholas..learning to love again is so sweet..

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  20. Poignant and wistful. I like the distinction between being in love and loving, too

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  21. What a journey you have lived and loved

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