Baneen Rua ( woman child of the auburn hair)

[dedalus]

A hug and a squeeze

was the timid best that we could do.

I wish, dear Mary, I had possessed you,

vigorously, up in your parents' bedroom,

when you and I were seventeen.

My life and yours would have changed entirely.

 

A thousand autumns have passed

and at the funeral bash this summer ( a family thing)

I was told you still had feelings.

 

My heart fell apart in smithereens,

thoughts of a life back home in Ireland and of all the things

that could have been.

Edited December 12, 2010 by dedalus

[waxwings]

I can share the sentiment of having to leave the down-home girl behind. Not the love of one's life, but the inkling of what we dream about before we learn what reality is like.

[Aleksandra]

Hi, Bren. I like the tone of this poem - the sadness and nostalgia and a touch of grief. I liked this poem, a lot.

 

Aleksandra

[Benjamin]

Wistful and interesting reflections on what might have been; of all the things not spoken but clearly thought about. Benjamin

[tonyv]

I missed this when it was posted, Brendan. You handle the "could have been" with remarkable grace.

 

Tony

[Benjamin]

This reads very smoothly with a clever use of in line/end line rhyme and assonance, giving strength to the wistful theme. I particularly liked the last stanza “smithereens/ all the things”. Benjamin