“It’s never safe to be nostalgic about something until you're absolutely certain there's no chance of its coming back.” - Bill Vaughn
There is almost nobody that doesn’t have an album or two of photographs around, each a little jolt that stimulate the wind of nostalgia to fill the sails of memory, making our mind’s ship travel back into the past. Nostalgia is a curious bittersweet pastille that for some has more sweet than bitter, while for others the bitterness overpowers the sweetness. Old photographs can make us smile, make us laugh, make us reflect on old times, but for some old photographs are a cause for tears as they rekindle old destructive fires and as they scratch old wounds to make them bleed yet again.
The creative writing group hosted by Magpie Tales has set a challenge based on the image above, which has stimulated the creative juices to flow yet again:
The Picnic
A sunny day, watercoloured, as those in the past can be
A brilliant morning full of joy and sunshine.
The four of us together as we so often were,
All laughter and shrieks of happiness.
A hamper, quickly packed with home-made delights,
A picnic rug rolled up, the car ready for the excursion.
The weekend all ours, and with our lips parted,
Smiling, joking, chatting, all so happy.
Maddie, Joe, Donna and Ted
The four of us together, sharing good times.
A snapshot moment, three first
Maddie, and Joe, Donna;
And then the other three
Maddie, Donna and Ted.
A song from the radio blares, as we sing along,
A special moment, this is what memories are made of.
The road unfurls, the accelerator touches the floor,
All laughter and shrieks of happiness.
A road sign, small towns, forests, hills,
A roadside stop, more snapshots, the morning all ours.
And once again on our way, the road an endless ribbon
Smiling, joking, chatting, all so happy.
Maddie, Donna, Joe and Ted
The four of us together, sharing good times.
A snapshot moment, three first
Maddie, and Joe, Donna;
And then the other three
Maddie, Donna and Ted.
A bend in the road, a treacherous rise, the lane narrow;
A truck up ahead swerving into our path,
The cries of joy turn to cries of fear
All tears, wide-eyed disbelief, and shrieks of terror.
A collision, the car spinning out of control…
A bad moment, this is what nightmares are made of.
The road collapses in on itself, the windscreen smashes,
Screams, howls and then silence as three lives are lost.
Maddie, Donna, Joe and Ted
The four of us together, sharing all till then.
A snap and the future’s shot, as three die:
Maddie, and Joe, Donna;
And since then I, alone lamenting
Maddie, Donna and Joe.
Very nicely done.
ReplyDeleteI loved the descriptions....
"A sunny day, watercoloured, as those in the past can be"
"The road unfurls, the accelerator touches the floor"
"the road an endless ribbon"
And you bought the story back to its sad ending very well. Nice one.
Ouch!That was a terrible accident...but this could happen, anytime anywhere...smiling one moment and crying in the next...
ReplyDeleteVery well written magpie:)
Was wondering where the groupings of 3 were leading...harrowing story/poem.
ReplyDeleteI love what you did with the photo! Fascinating, ominous .... nicely done!
ReplyDeleteMy late wife's uncle was t-boned in a small car as he was driving a foursome home from a gathering. He in the driver's seat was in the center of gravity of the accident. It all spun around him and left him untouched. His wife beside him was thrown to die forty feet down the road. His best friends, a married couple sitting in the back died in place, taking the hit directly from the side and getting mashed. He walked away without anything. The drunk driver who did this had minor injuries.
ReplyDeleteDark and beautiful...like chocolate...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful but sad, Nicholas. It makes that photograph so poignant...
ReplyDelete