“Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty
to reject despair.” - Elie Wiesel
The theme for this Midweek Motif at Poets United is “Nostalgia”. This is a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past and the word is derived from the Greek nostos ‘return home’ + algos ‘pain’. But is it nostalgia when the memory of the past is bitter and the remembrance of it carries with it only pain? Painful memories of a painful period in the past: Maybe we should call this “Antinostalgia”?
Antinostalgia
A flashing neon sign illuminates on the street
The few yellow leaves spinning aimlessly
(In endless circles),
And dead paper carried in the whirls of the wind eddies.
The night air is cold, sharp, clear,
While in the emptiness
Only my hollow steps resound.
Brought to me by a gust of wind,
A snatch of melody
(A few familiar notes),
Just enough to remind me of you.
It hurts me to remember how
That song always used to make me cry,
But now only a couple of half-heard notes
Of just another love song,
Carried pointlessly by the wind...
Acrid smoke stifles my bitter breath
Bringing with it solace;
An opiate to soothe away the pain
(Of your remembrance).
I used to love you with such fire,
Now only ashes and wisps of smoke
From a dying cigarette.
The song that’s drifting in the wind
Meant all that you had silently confessed
But now only a faded keepsake
Pressed tightly between the pages of my closed heart.
A song of love.
An empty street.
A frozen heart.
A never-ending night.
(And as always, my footsteps only
Resounding hollow on the dreary cobbles...)
The theme for this Midweek Motif at Poets United is “Nostalgia”. This is a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past and the word is derived from the Greek nostos ‘return home’ + algos ‘pain’. But is it nostalgia when the memory of the past is bitter and the remembrance of it carries with it only pain? Painful memories of a painful period in the past: Maybe we should call this “Antinostalgia”?
Antinostalgia
A flashing neon sign illuminates on the street
The few yellow leaves spinning aimlessly
(In endless circles),
And dead paper carried in the whirls of the wind eddies.
The night air is cold, sharp, clear,
While in the emptiness
Only my hollow steps resound.
Brought to me by a gust of wind,
A snatch of melody
(A few familiar notes),
Just enough to remind me of you.
It hurts me to remember how
That song always used to make me cry,
But now only a couple of half-heard notes
Of just another love song,
Carried pointlessly by the wind...
Acrid smoke stifles my bitter breath
Bringing with it solace;
An opiate to soothe away the pain
(Of your remembrance).
I used to love you with such fire,
Now only ashes and wisps of smoke
From a dying cigarette.
The song that’s drifting in the wind
Meant all that you had silently confessed
But now only a faded keepsake
Pressed tightly between the pages of my closed heart.
A song of love.
An empty street.
A frozen heart.
A never-ending night.
(And as always, my footsteps only
Resounding hollow on the dreary cobbles...)
wonderful images of desolation..yet the yearning for a fulfillment is prominent..
ReplyDeleteI agree some nostaligia is wrought with pain. Your words are so vivid - well done!
ReplyDelete"A song of love.
ReplyDeleteAn empty street.
A frozen heart.
A never-ending night." ~ You painted such a beautiful picture of nostalgia with your words.
beautiful ...a pleasure to read
ReplyDeleteSometime we just don't want to remember.
ReplyDeleteA song of love.
ReplyDeleteAn empty street.
A frozen heart.
A never-ending night.
(And as always, my footsteps only
Resounding hollow on the dreary cobbles...)
Such heartfelt lines! Beautifully executed.
We are reminded by your lyrical words that not all of us have a happy nostalgia for the past. Thank you for sharing your journey.
ReplyDeleteLove the title and the poem is rich with the pain of love lost. It's hard to let go of the past - good or bad.
ReplyDelete"I used to love you with such fire,
ReplyDeleteNow only ashes and wisps of smoke
From a dying cigarette."
These line just broke my heart
Have a blessed Wednesday
Much love...
Moving and sad... a reminder of all the love we have wasted on the unworthy. Love the setting. You painted a magic scenario.
ReplyDeleteOh you made me feel this poem completely. The remembrance of love, the pain of its loss, the closed heart and echoing footsteps. I have been there, and your poem reminded me.
ReplyDeletePowerful. OH, I used to carry that pain. It changed after eons, and now allows me snippets of nostalgia. (I have also quit smoking.)
ReplyDelete'Your joy is your sorrow unmasked' (Gibran) and vice-versa. If there is pain, it is for lost pleasure. I hope in time that may become the content of sweeter nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteAh, nostalgia isn't always pleasant. Your poem makes that point well.
ReplyDeleteGood question: is it nostalgia when the memory of the past is bitter and the remembrance of it carries with it only pain? I think it is.
ReplyDeleteHave a look at a quote from Kahlil Gibran: “The human heart cries out for help; the human soul implores us for deliverance; but we do not heed their cries, for we neither hear nor understand. But the man who hears and understands we call mad, and flee from him.” What else is there?
Hels
http://melbourneblogger.blogspot.com.au/2016/07/elie-wiesel-1928-2016-holocaust.html
And as always, my footsteps only
ReplyDeleteResounding hollow on the dreary cobbles.
The connection with reality is still there and can be expected to be renewed, even enhanced!
Hank