Monday, August 27, 2012

Not Yet a Bust

Big Room, 1948, Andrew Wyeth


 Not Yet a Bust
©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson

In the end, we left the room quite empty.
Cold, save for the errant ray
of day-old sun that filtered past the pane.

The brighter beams were gone or graying now.
Reprised in dust and shadow,
a sinking nod to joys that once had been.

But all was never lost, could not be lost.
Soft hints of sweetness lingered on the walls.
Distilled from cracks and faded spots of color,
where love and tears and memory remained.

I left a tray of fruit upon the table.
Summoned our childish voices once again.

∞§∞

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25 comments:

  1. I wish I had this poem 5 years ago when we were selling my childhood home. I understand it perfectly.

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  2. I think I will feel this way about JDaniel's room.

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  3. i am glad all joy was not lost....and that perhaps childlikeness can sweep back into it....smiles.

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  4. I think I found my grandmother's house just one more time, from your words. Thanking you from the bottom of my heart!

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  5. really beautiful, I like it a lot. thanks for stopping by.

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  6. Absolutely stunning piece of writing for this photo.

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  7. I've moved over 40 times in my life and still...there are places like this that you've described...that will always feel this way.

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  8. Great words for a great picture. This was a particularly poignant post.

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  9. At this particular juncture in my life, this is so touching.

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  10. I love your play on words in the title.... "Not Yet a Bust".... as in the bust of Beethoven sitting in the window, or the sculpting of Wyeth. Was that intentional? It's funny. The rest of the poem harkens back to those halcyon moments of life... treasures! Thanks for sharing your brilliance Sue. =D

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  11. This was beautiful. Bittersweet, but beautiful. There's nothing quite as sad as leaving an empty house you've spent many happy years in. Gets to me every time I've done it.

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  12. For me, the suns rays and fruit saved the emptiness of the room room being a sad scene. You captured the life still there even though it is vacant.

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  13. I like this very much - beautiful.

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  14. I specially like the third stanza...all is never lost ~ The last line is specially poignant ~

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  15. Beautiful and melancholy poem that fits perfectly into the picture.

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  16. Not just childish voices- soft hints of sweetness can out shine everything else!
    thanks-

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  17. I never read any of the other comments before commenting, but " besutiful" was the first word that appeared in my mind so thankyou for bringing a little beauty to my life, Sue

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  18. What a melancholy place...and yet as you say, sweetness within..life.
    Very touching...

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  19. sorry. I had a bad error.

    Do you write poems based on artwork? This is fantastic.

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  20. Sue, just lovely. Very poignant and I have felt feelings like this before in treasured family homes.
    Blessings and hugs!

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  21. This perfect, Sue. And one of your best, I think. You use words in a way I wish I could. Just absolutely beautiful.

    I also love Andrew Wyeth. I have one of his books and always enjoy looking through it.

    :)

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  22. Well written piece. No thanks for the elevator music,

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