I remember so clearly
those golden moments
of a brand new dawning,
brought about by the love
I'd always hoped for
and dreamed of
Walking in the sunlight,
strolling in the moonlight,
all in tune with the symphony
of the shores of forever
Where nothing matters
but gazing into each other's eyes
and beholding an uncommon beauty
that simply takes your breath away,
all the while wishing and praying
that these moments would never end
And then when she needed and chose
to disembark from our carousel
and follow her own destiny,
I fell from grace amid the ruins
of what might have been
and lost dreams
But when I recovered
from the shock of her departure,
I found that I was left with a decision
that would reflect my heart and soul
and herald whom I would become
What would I choose to take
from these precious moments
as my remembrances
of our love together
Would it be anger and regret
and the wastelands of despair,
or was there possibly another way
to embrace my memories of the way we were
Then I remembered the flickering candlelight
and gossamer curtains gently billowing
in rhythm with the cool sea breezes,
during the evening that never was
And I decided that any moments
which touch my heart, passion, and soul
so deeply must be treasured and honored,
for they helped me to understand
and feel what is truly important
during my brief moments
in this place and time
So I chose to remember
those moments of love
with tenderness and joy,
and take them with me
as my beacon of faith
to guide me home

dennis j hopkins ~ 09/2002
© Copyright by the author, all rights reserved.
Email dennis ~ Visit his website to read more.

"Such a radiance that dawning brings ... it is a soft, warm glow that seems to emanate from everything and nothing, for it comes from within both the self and the presence ... no, the mere thought ... of the one loved ...

Yes ... *soft smile of remembrance* ... being wrapped in the very essence of a timeless love, and knowing that all you've ever hoped for and dreamed of, all you've ever desired and prayed for, is encompassed in this one moment and having found the love you've sought ... you want nothing more, need nothing more, and oh, please, let it be forever, for always ...

To hold that moment in your hands, to feel it entwine with your heart and passion and soul, and then to see it shattered at your feet like splintered crystal ... *soft sigh* ... seeing hopes and dream reflected in these fragments, yet being so afraid they are emendable, because that which embodied them is gone ...

Oh, yes ... for each decision we make is the planting of a seed ... each seed will ultimately blossom into bright beauty or thorny weeds of despair and despondency ...

Anger and regret and despair ... denial of what one knew to be true and beautiful, self-blame, recrimination, remorse, and surely, surely there must be another way ... a way to cherish, and to remember the beauty and wonder, that essence of timeless love ...

How well I recall such evenings ... tangible dreams made real by the mere thought of his presence ... such evenings could not be 'only' imagination, they must certainly be reality in some where and when ... each one renews the surety that love exists, that it reaches through time to touch us with wonder and the promise of what will one day be ...

Such a beacon it is, shining so brightly through the mists of time ... it touches the seeds of remembrance with the light of true, unconditional love, to lead us to the forever each soul seeks ...

What lovely driftings this poem brings to mind ...

rainbow blessings,"

~ Shelley ~
sflynn@msinter.net

(NOTE: Shelley Flynn is a long-time consultant of dennis j hopkins poetry and contributor to The Forum, his newsletter regarding interpretations of his poems. Her words are dreamy and melodious ~ her interpretations are breathtakingly beautiful. I hope you love them, too.)