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NARCISSUS GROWN OLD

Narcissus grown old

Time took away
the ecstasy
of my yesterdays.

In rippling waters
cold and gray
I called to a reflection
not of me
yet of no other.

I knew
I would not see this place
again

Editing stage: 

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This place, a place where I belong,
this day, this hour, this minute, now,
is tainted by the tears that stain my mind,
their bitter sweet refrain rings through my brain,
and veils the visions of tomorrows that remain a memory,
as memories fade too, into the brine of grey,

the hue of shadows that shows up in dew,
what will become of all my yesterdays that are no more,
will they too die a death,
their breath still on my lips,
those thoughts that I adore,
made faint, their feeble sighs withdraw,

as old age, illness, sadness draws its sheet across my bed,
to capture me and toss all freedom clean away,
I lie and dream the dreams of what would be,
when I was little, perhaps only three,
then all the world was one great mystery, and now,
I know no more than that, in spite of many years of history.

It spilled out of me on reading your words above.
Anni's L.

"The image of yourself which you see in a mirror Is dead,
but the reflection of the moon on water, lives." Kenzan.

And you captured my thughts morre beautifully than I.

Takk, Anni

author comment

I rarely post my own thoughts on others poems these days but I enjoyed this one so I had to. As you may know I love poems based around the myths, I'm a kindred spirit perhaps in that. This one was quite clear and concise. However didn't Narcxissus die gazing into hisown reflection. You gave me the impression that he captured something beautiful but that was only fleeting, as I suppose physical beauty is. However there is no bad thing about that. We rewrite the myths as artists have the right to. I suppose that is the moral of the original story. So I liked it thanx for sharing.

John

Thanks. Yes, I enjoy the ancient myths, and they work well to express our own thoughts as we expand their meaning. This is a sequel to NARCISSE which I had first w ritten in French.

Joe

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