Broken up

-
I've been wondering what to do with your stuff,
now that we have broken up.
What do other people do with their stuff,
after they have broken up?
Do they burn it, break it, trash it, return it?
I am all over being sentimental
and hanging on to stuff
when it would serve my memory no good,
although I am sure it will be fine when I look back.

I am wondering if I should burn your poems,
the one you wrote me when we first broke up
and you were trying to tell me
we ought to reclaim our innocence,
which made me think you understood
how I felt about all the physical stuff
and that I really just sought you,
wanted to know you more,
your soul, your heart, and not your flesh.

I wonder if I should burn the other poem too,
the one you wrote me on my birthday,
which ended in love.
Later when I sought assurance and comfort from you,
you pointed me to the poem,
you sent me off to read it again,
as though your job had already been done
and there was no need to tell me again.
Suddenly the life ran out of your words
and became dead to me, lifeless.

Your words have become empty,
just words of ink on paper,
so it is right for them to burn.
As for the rest,
what do I do with them?
The little penguin, a mini you,
a figurine, so cute, like you,
that too must go, it has no use.
I think these days, it's okay,
although I am a bird,
I am one with wings,
and penguins don't fly,
so I can't be one,
can't possibly be yours.
Do you want it back,
for when you find your better half?
But that is probably not how you'll relate.

The postcards and cards I bought
and never sent, now just a waste of money,
a hope dashed in thought,
also, I guess, ready to be burnt,
for what else can I do?
I wouldn't want to send them to another
because they were meant for you.
The card I made, what energy I put in,
sought an opportunity, but it never came,
only went.

So I find out today, from a child,
how fitting, that you are with another,
already, not even a month apart,
and your actions prove what my heart believed
and yet could never explain.

I am relieved
I am no longer yours
the pain I felt, I still feel today,
but it's okay
because it is not here to stay.

I made a wise choice,
and though I still hurt
and pray God avenges,
you are free to be.

I had hoped you would have learnt
to take your time in between
and get to know someone
and to commit only when you are sure about this one,
but you are on this train and there seems no getting off.

I feel her pain already
because she doesn't know
what goes on inside your head
and you are not being fair on her,
a girl who seeks love, I assure you,
and not a fling.

You too seek love,
but how can this be?
In love with me, you claim,
then in a relationship
in just a month,
and you wonder why I couldn't trust?
Do relationships mean something to you?
Or is it your comfort zone?

Do not fall in love,
step in love,
is what I have been told,
and I pray I shall do as such,
if it means turning the other cheek,
and staying strong for 9 months,
which is how long I commit to stay single for,
please let me stay strong.
Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Farmer And His Sons

-
Taken from Headway's Intermediate Student's Book: The Farmer And His Sons There was once an old, dying farmer who had worked hard in his vineyard all his life.  Before he died he wanted to teach his three sons how to be good farmers.  So he called them to his bedside and said, 'My boys, I have an important secret to tell you: there is a great treasure buried in the vineyard.  Promise me that you will look for it when I am dead.' The sons gave their promise and as soon as their father had died they began looking for the treasure.  They worked very hard in the hot sun and while they were working they thought about what their father had said.  They pictured boxes of cold coins, diamond necklaces, and other such things.  Soon they had dug up every inch of the vineyard but they found not a single penny.  They were very upset because they felt that all their hard work had been for nothing.   However, a few months later the grapes started to appear on the vines.  Their grapes ...
Read more

Speech technique No.2 - the Unifying Metaphor

-
The Unifying Metaphor: As opposed to a simile which compares two objects using a specific linguistic form, eg. the man was as brave as a lion, a metaphor compares two objects by equating the one with the other, eg. he was a brave lion.   Literally the man was not a lion, but figuratively he was.   This figure of speech is used in literary works of all kinds, including poems and news articles. The Unifying Metaphor aims to unify people.   An example of an American metaphor is the Camel man.   He is healthy, strong and tanned, and he can survive in the wild bushveld with merely a pocketknife and a piece of string.   He drives a 4x4, and he works hard all day.   This is the image of the Camel man – please correct me if I’m wrong.   The logic and truth behind this image may elude us, but what unifies us is what Elgin (1980: p. 227) calls the consensus perception . As a unity, we have reached consensus about the perception of the Camel man.   The theory reminds of the Jung’s colle...
Read more

Bevor ich geboren bin, bin ich gestorben.

-
Image
Bevor ich geboren bin, bin ich gestorben. Warum bleiben dann Gefühle meines eigenen Gewissens? Warum bleiben die Gedanken und die Träume meines eigenen Lebens, wenn mich doch Gott neu geschaffen hat, mir neues Blut gegeben hat, mich in eine neue Familie hat gebracht? Ich will nicht mehr traurig sein, dass mein Leben mir wie nichts vorkommt, dass ich mir so unglaublich wertlos vorkomme, und stattdessen will ich den Glauben fassen, dass Gott mich tatsächlich in Seinen Händen trägt, und mich wirklich beschützt vom Bösen. Ich will mich vergessen, mich verlieben, und dann für andere leben, für einen Sinn außerhalb meiner Wünsche, eine Gnade und Liebe erfahren, die nicht aus dieser Welt stammt, sondern ganz weit entfernt und doch so nah. Ich freue mich auf keinen Tod, doch meiner ist schon vergangen, und mein neues Leben hat schon begonnen, jedoch sieht es manchmal nicht danach aus, und ich schäme mich, dass ich mich nicht mehr hab vertraut an den Herrn, den lieben ...
Read more