There was nothing soft about her fragrance
That whiskey breath
Could peel the chrome off the bumper
Of my ’83 Chevy
But god-damn I loved her
We’d sit with the tailgate down
Drinking beers
Talking shit with a lullaby moon
And dripping stars
Just the two of us
Pulled off a lonesome country road
Surrounded by nothing but dreams
Who could forget that time
I went to take a piss
And a raccoon jumped out
From behind a tree
I screamed like a little girl
Got piss all over myself
And she laughed so hard
Beer shot out from her nose
I’d never seen anything so beautiful
God-damn, I loved her
But anyone who drinks that hard
Has something they’re trying to forget
And I knew; she told me everything
It takes a lot of pills
And even more booze
To forget something like that
She swore she’d never say goodbye
It’d be too hard
One day, she’d just be gone
And I believed her
But we had a lot of nights like those
Mad Dog philosophers
Running down this star, and that star
What ifs and what could be
-If only
I’d lie there and watch her dance
In the bed of my truck
Skirt twirling, hands weaving overhead
I suppose she’s still dancing
Up there, somewhere, among the stars
I hope she looks down on me once in a while
And understands how sorry I am
I wasn’t enough
I couldn’t give her a way out
From everything she carried inside
She’d cry and say just hold me
Tell me one more time
About someday and maybes,
About a house, a dog,
a silly picket fence, green grass,
a garden, a couple of kids running around,
a real family, a home . . . our home
-If only
There’ll always be a part of her with me
One long summer that never ends
Sitting on that tailgate
In some god-forsaken cornfield
Drinking beers, the sound of her laughter
That look in her eye, right before
She kissed me
My first
And as far as I’m concerned
My last
Just a couple of dreamers
Who had nothing in the world
But each other
-from Bobby to Annie; wherever you are
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This is absolutely stunning. I love how it flows, how alive this poem it, how poignant and nostalgic.
Way to go.
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Thank you, that means a lot coming from someone who’s writing I hold in high regard.
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I’ve always been attracted to your writing, but let me be honest, I think you have recently exploded into sth unpredictably beautiful, raw in expression, sadder, darker and even brutal at times. Now I’m trying to be as objective as possible. Bottom line is although there’s nth I love more than such pieces, it is still YOU who’s not afraid to change and experiment and who’s evolved into a force to be reckoned with.
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This is very humbling feedback, I appreciate and respect you for taking the time to say all this. Thank you.
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Damn, this is good… it drips with heartbreak. I suppose we all have our “if onlys” that haunt us to our dying day.
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Yeah, we do. Thank you very much for reading.
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My pleasure.
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God- damn, I loved this poem.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Ahh, I see what you did there. Thank you very much!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Wow! You’re getting soooo good! Wahoo. Loved it.
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Thank you, I really appreciate that.
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Literally have tears welling in my eyes.
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Hey, thank you for reading.
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Thank you for writing and sharing. 🙂
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Love, loved it. Thanks
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Thank you very much.
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I Love this!! It is so real and raw, and tender and just so so Good!!!
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Thank you Susan.
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OMG So sweet, Sooooo Sad.
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Thank you for reading!
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An excellent poem!
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I appreciate that, thank you.
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🙂
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Beautiful!
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Thank you Angela.
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My pleasure.
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Thanks for making a mess of my day. Amazingly evocative…
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Thank you. Just doing my part to ruin everyone’s day!
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Oh my! This is absolutely fabulous.
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Thank you.
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Saddest part is, you can never really hold a person like that, nor can you forget them. And what are stars made of, philosopher?
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Hmm, I’ve have to think about that the next time I remember to look at them.
Thank you for taking the time to read my work.
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What a beautiful and poignant story here- excellent writing.
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Thank you very much.
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The emotions displayed in this piece leave me speechless. This was really beautifully conveyed.
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It means a lot to me that you enjoyed it, thank you very much!
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You’re welcome!
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Wow, just wow!
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Thank you!
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That was simply gorgeous!
As you never actually said… her dead body… I dream, like me, she ran away. Then one day found happiness in a place she never thought to look.
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Thank you. Yeah, that is a nice thought. Maybe she did.
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This is one to keep and re-read. (Insert deep sigh…) This takes me immeasurably far away, but nowhere specific and nowhere too gloomy even. It’s one of those sweet, tragic parts of this so-called lifetime–the moments, times, people, years even, that impact us the most that we simply couldn’t trade or erase, even though we couldn’t hang on to it, those, them, because nothing compares to, nothing nears such soulful connections. I believe in understanding and even reuniting eventually. Somehow. Somewhere. Until then, the end, the beginning, we simply must part, it seems.
I disagree with readers who think you’re getting so good: you’ve always been so good, in my opinion. I’ve never once been disappointed reading your poetry. It does seem you have an increased and fuller, more personal presence, though, lately, and I do like that. 🙂
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I haven’t seen a post from you in my reader for quite some time. So I just checked and I am no longer following you. You are the third person in the past two days that I have found this problem with. I assume it’s a glitch on WordPresse’s end, but it’s pretty annoying.
Thank you for the thoughtful comment. It’s great when someone can connect with something I have written. That’s all I’m really looking for.
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Hmm, I tried following you again and I get an error message.
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It says you’re a follower on my end now and that I’m following you. I’ve come and gone a lot the past year, though. (Bad mental year.) My blogs and posts have had a tendency to self-destruct. I hope to stay put now though. You’re a good role model for that. 😉
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Yeah, it’s working now. I hope you have a better year.
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A deep poetic reply
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Oh wow. This is magnificently stunning. I absolutely love love love this. So good, beginning, ending, and all the middle bits, too. Thank you for sharing this.
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Thank you very much, Tara.
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Tremendous and magical! Almost had me in tears!
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Thank you very much for reading!
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tender, gritty … your writing has it all. masterfully crafted. – tsk
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Thank you, tsk.
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Wow, incredible writing. I really felt it.
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Thank you very much for reading.
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what a treacherous, treacherous thing love is– takes away the only real thing we ever chose to call our own. wonder why she had to leave. why do the best things in life always have to leave?
this is good poetry. love the country setting and the daunting. softness of solitude. i dont believe in the idea of love, but i swear, poetry like this is the closest i’ll ever get to it. thank you for this wonderful experience.
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Thank you very much for reading and leaving such a thoughtful reply. I will leave the reason for her no longer being there up to the reader.
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Gave me a lump in my throat. Bittersweet and tender
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Thank you very much!
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“Talking shit about lullaby moon and dripping stars” got to me. I have a thing for talking with celestial bodies. This is lovely.
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Thank you very much!
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You’re most welcome!
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I believed every word and it took me back to my youth. Thank you for the trip.
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And thank you for reading.
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Omg u are great
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That’s kind of you to say, thank you very much.
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Very lovely writing.
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I appreciate that, thank you.
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I am amazed by how alive this poem is super perfect
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Thank you very much for the kind words.
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Excellent piece…I felt every word!
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Thank you very much!
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My pleasure. 🙂
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Amazing… I’m blown away with the ending.
Gives me something to think about.
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Thank you very much!
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Lovely story! 💚
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Thank you very much!
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And why on earth wasn’t I following you?
This is a lesson in poetry, sir. Excellent.
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Thank you. I most humbly accept your compliment.
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You are most welcome!
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A very emotional piece… well done!
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Thank you!
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You’re welcome.
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I read this, i am deeply impressed, re-read it and gets the clear view so vivid. But ‘If Only’ is the stress, then our lives ought to have only one ‘only’ for each one of us. I love the flow, the deep sense it makes and moreso, the rich language-i can not ignore this. I have gone literally through all the comments and indeed i can re-affirm to you that my predecessors were a tepresentative of what i have in my mind. This is an August poem, so noble indeed. I will have to re-read it, again and again, perhaps i will get a 3D view of it. Love your work bro. Keep it up. God bless.
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Thank you very much for the thoughtful comment.
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Welcome big bro
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Nice writing
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Thank you for reading.
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Yup, I cried
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Softy.
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Very poignant, that really drew me in.
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Thank you very much.
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Beer shot out of her nose? 😂😂 👏 Applause to this piece! It was tragic lol but funny :)) 💃🕺🎻
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Thank you!
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ah, truly love this…
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Thank you very much, I really appreciate that.
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Reblogged this on Music in the Water.
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Very powerful. I liked it.
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Thank you very much.
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I like this a lot. You have managed to be funny and sad at the same time which is difficult to do. Truly beautiful.
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Thank you, I really appreciate that!
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Looks like I am not alone in being in love with this one!! Bravo!! Great write!!
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Thank you, that means a lot to me.
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That is an amazing poem. I could read this again and again. I can’t wait to purchase your books. Congratulations on being published!!
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Thank you very much, I really appreciate that.
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Your welcome
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The tragic tale unfolds so beautifully…
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Thank you!
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You’re welcome 😊
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Absolutely painted a vivid pucture of diamond in a hopeless place. Thanks for writing.
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You’re welcome. Thank you.
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I so love this! So vivid that I pictured the whole scenario in my head and my heart broke.
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Don’t know why this comment of mine said anonymous when I was signed in when I wrote it 😆
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That’s happened to me before. Seems like WordPress can be quirky at times.
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Thank you so much for reading.
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