"The tree knows everything", image borrowed from creating patterns on flickr.
They say the first step is going into your childhood and remembering... Not sure why this is quite a challenge for me... But I'm really enjoying the journey too.
Remembering
I don't remember much...
But I do remember summers spent in the country.
I remember the long rides and the rough roads,
which seemed as endless as my thirst for adventure.
I remember how my city eyes took no time
to adjust to the new palette,
and how the warm hues
weaving through the rolling hills
added an unexpected twist
to the tapestry of my life.
I don't remember what anyone said...
But I do remember being lost in wonder.
I remember the bucolic landscape
and how I'd craved it
without even knowing it before.
I remember my face lit up with glee
and the sense that
there was finally no distance
between myself and the world.
I don't remember if we sang...
But I do remember the blue wagon window down,
the cool breeze kissing my rosy cheeks.
I remember the smell of tall grass
and the occasional glimpse of cows
leisurely eating, resting on the shade
and gazing at the green open fields
in somewhat of a meditative state.
I remember thinking:
This is how life should be.
I don't remember who welcomed us...
But I do remember the mango trees.
I immediately knew what they were
as soon as the air was filled with their sweet fragrance.
I carried with me stories of how my mother
used to climb and sit on the sturdy branches,
and how she picked and peeled
ripe, yellow, freshly picked mangos.
I remember longing to taste a mango
that came from a tree, not from a store.
And then I planned to live forever
in abundance, just like that.
I don't remember the kids names...
But I remember watching them attentively,
so I could learn from their every move.
I remember them playing catch,
running freely through the corn fields,
splashing loudly in the river
and feeding the chickens.
I remember we all shared laughs,
messy clothes, and something more
subtle and hard to pin point.
I think what we shared was simple joy
and the same kind of lightness in our hearts.
I don't remember doing much...
But I do remember all the smells, tastes, images, feelings.
I'm learning that I've always been introspective
and deeply lost in thought and study.
I remember a phrase I read before
that said: "I'm a fool for beauty."
And that is what I have been all along...
And that, once again, is what I'm proving to be
in this poem... Just a fool,
feasting madly, in the allure
of these childhood memories.
Comments (10)
lovely poem with beautiful word play.
(no, i don't mind :) )
Posted by bullish1974 | September 21, 2007 11:20 AM
Posted on September 21, 2007 11:20
This is like a revelation...
Those moments last forever...
"finally there was no difference between myself and the world"
:-D i want to experience that!
Posted by [a} | September 21, 2007 12:40 PM
Posted on September 21, 2007 12:40
"to live forever
in abundance, just like that." - i love this line!
i grew up in the islands and really miss eating succulent mangoes straight from the tree. your poem brings back so many memories for me. thank you for this! :)
Posted by odessa | September 21, 2007 3:53 PM
Posted on September 21, 2007 15:53
Darling A,
You were a poetic, observant, reflective child - it makes beautiful sense that you would fully immerse yourself in the feelings, the tastes and the sounds of the joy of being in the country to such a point that you can recall them with this vivid and evocative detail.
x
Posted by Frida | September 21, 2007 7:30 PM
Posted on September 21, 2007 19:30
ah...the poetry of the not quite remembered....
Posted by wendy | September 22, 2007 8:38 AM
Posted on September 22, 2007 08:38
This is absolutely lovely!
Posted by Literary Bohemian | September 22, 2007 3:32 PM
Posted on September 22, 2007 15:32
A~ What an absolutely amazing poem. It seems that what you *do* remember are those pieces that are the important ones, and thus why they are the ones that stayed with you.
Perfect.xoxoxo
Posted by ceanandjen | September 23, 2007 8:25 PM
Posted on September 23, 2007 20:25
All your beautiful memories make me wish I remembered more of my own.
love from Marrakech.
Posted by maryam in marrakech | September 24, 2007 2:00 AM
Posted on September 24, 2007 02:00
Feasting madly.
I love this.
You have the gift of truly seeing.
Posted by bella | September 24, 2007 7:31 AM
Posted on September 24, 2007 07:31
How beautifully you recount your memories - so poetic! Thank you for sharing your keen observations and echoes of childhood. xo
Posted by Paris Parfait | September 25, 2007 12:50 AM
Posted on September 25, 2007 00:50