Sweet Charlie, Long Gone
The sea…
The foam kissed my bare feet as I ran…
In my memory, I play always at the edge
And laugh as I hold my sundress down in the wind
And laugh as I hold wet cloth away from bare skin…
Once as the sound of a melancholy violin
drifted from a bungalow at dusk
it nailed me in place;
So sad, it seemed to bleed onto the sunset colored sand,
riding atop the steady tumble of waves.
and yes, the music was in the foam that licked my toes
and yes, I thought the man morose
to play such a sad song
when the world of the ocean was at his feet as well as mine…
I found out later he was as handsome close
As he was mesmerizing from afar
and quite charming.
I had a weakness for black hair and dark eyes even then.
I thought I would never find anyone else so worldly
Never anyone so refined…
as he gracefully played his aged violin,
As he carefully played me.
I played the innocent,
played the piano,
played him.
I remember thinking we played well together; our music, our games…
He said we came together well, smiling as he said it.
So shameless and debonair,
sweet Charlie, long gone.
johemmant said,
January 21, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Oh Mimi, this is very, very fine…the delicate rhymes, the weaving, it shimmers.
gingatao! said,
January 23, 2008 at 9:48 am
Perfectly beautiful, Mimi. And so Mimi as well, your unique blend of grace and strength, intelligence and elegance. I love the decadent last stanza too, the mutuality of it with a wry grin. Beautiful.
Narnie said,
January 24, 2008 at 12:51 pm
This has a young voice rather than a reminiscent one. You capture the ‘yesterday’ rather than the long gone, which is perfect considering the clarity of her recollections. It is quite different to your others in that it has such a lightness which never dips – not even at the end – a breath of fresh air you could say.
Narnie said,
January 24, 2008 at 12:53 pm
(But that’s not to say it is preferable to the others – just different. Gah! I never explain myself properly
)
wulfstancrumble said,
February 3, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Elegant, youthful yet also nostalgic or at least fond memories of the past. Its really nice to read your pieces again.