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Sunday, July 19, 2009

Not History

For Monday Poetry Train Revisited


NOT HISTORY

You never talk about it
Nobody knows about it
Untold pain behind the smile

When you’re asked about your past
You want to change the subject
‘It’s not important’ you lie

Everyone must be thinking
How convenient to say
‘And the rest is history’

The rest is not history

The rest, of course, lives and breathes
And dwells within heart and mind
And will remain forever
A most unwelcome squatter

So you never mention it
Because you can’t stand the pain

No, you’re not in denial
It’s for real and you know it
The only trouble is though
Once able to admit it
And face it, speak about it
Openly acknowledge it
Then you have to re-live it
Blow by agonising blow
That’s both the physical ones
As well as the mental ones

The rest is not history
Will never be history
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11 comments:

  1. VJuly 20, 2009 at 8:32 AM

    You made this poem come alive. Very lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 20, 2009 at 9:30 AM

    These lines are soo true:

    The rest, of course, lives and breathes
    And dwells within heart and mind
    And will remain forever
    A most unwelcome squatter

    The rest is not hisrory for sure...
    Lovely write.


    http://songofsea.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/mirror-mirror/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Stan SkiJuly 20, 2009 at 5:31 PM

    Thanks to:
    Amethyst; Could apply to many situations.
    Songofsea; Some things just don't go away.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nara MaloneJuly 20, 2009 at 11:03 PM

    "The only trouble is though
    Once able to admit it
    And face it, speak about it
    Openly acknowledge it
    Then you have to re-live it
    Blow by agonising blow"

    This is so true and something I never could figure out how to explain. You've done a great job with it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. one more believerJuly 21, 2009 at 6:08 AM

    just last week i told a story, my story, repeating it, painful...just as yr post sez...thank goodness in telling outloud wings sprouted and freed the prisoner held....

    ReplyDelete
  6. Stan SkiJuly 21, 2009 at 8:33 AM

    Thanks to:
    Nara Malone; A difficult subject.
    One More Believer; success - but not always the case.

    ReplyDelete
  7. thisgirlremembersJuly 21, 2009 at 2:50 PM

    This cuts close. What a lovely and raw poem. It reminds me of my grandmother, who had such pain and loss and betrayal in her life that she refused to talk about her past at all, telling those of us who asked that it wasn't worth the telling. She died last year, and I feel I never really knew who she was, and now I never will. I think it was her way of shutting the pain away, but it poisoned so much of her life and kept her so far removed from other people.

    Thank you for sharing your work. It touched me deeply.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Andy SewinaJuly 21, 2009 at 4:32 PM

    More a case of 'his' story, perhaps.

    Well told!

    ReplyDelete
  9. gautami tripathyJuly 21, 2009 at 10:49 PM

    That last stanza says it all..

    Very touching!

    readingless days

    ReplyDelete
  10. Julia Phillips SmithJuly 21, 2009 at 11:03 PM

    'So you never mention it
    Because you can’t stand the pain

    No, you’re not in denial
    It’s for real and you know it'

    Really well-done, Stan - the entire piece is so accessible while being so well-crafted.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Stan SkiJuly 22, 2009 at 5:35 AM

    Thanks to:
    This Girl Remembers; It's not always easy to share the stories we know best.
    Andy; And his...and his...and his...
    Gautami Tripathy; It's always a current issue.
    Julia Smith;Sympathy, understanding - don't ease the pain

    ReplyDelete

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