Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Tides and Home Movies....


It's Open Link Night over at dversepoets.com  Take a peak at what others have to offer in the way of poetry...



Black and white flickers on walls, images
of we kids way back when in summers hot;
spliced film footage of us then, at waves' edge,
running on hard wet sand, white hot sand not 

Low tide found us exploring ocean rocks 
with pails, shovels, eyes sought unbroken shells;
seaweed trained ankles, agates filled pockets
Moats filled with foam as our sand castles fell

The present passed quickly by, just from our
jumping up and down; grandma waved and smiled
we poked anemones  assumed flowers
mollusks squirted up at us, crabs ran wild 

Sun tan oil, first aid, and steaming cocoa;
We ate charred hot dogs, blackened marshmallows
Starfish stared back at us; jellyfish foul
memories in a groove of time, kept safe somehow 

Somewhere, a lifetime ago, the laughter 
we saw on the screen abruptly ended 
The silent opera was over faster
than any of us ever intended

Reels spun out of control, film's tail flapped about 
Now do you hear the ocean far away?
Hold the shells to your ear if any doubt -
.. it's funny how fast we moved on that day?


19 comments:

  1. "memories in a groove of time, " the flap of the tail end of film… I always enjoyed that sound. Haven't heard it in a long time. Lovely splashing down memory lane with you!

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  2. Oh yes, how fast the present moves....and indeed it seems to have moved even faster back then!

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  3. OOOH. I loved that sound, the flapping tail of the film sound. It reminds me vividly of being in 6th grade and watching movies about Aborigines (my teacher was a bit obsessed).

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    1. ...or health clips on how to date....glad you stopped by..

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  4. Somewhere, a lifetime ago, the laughter
    we saw on the screen abruptly ended
    The silent opera was over faster
    than any of us ever intended

    Life is such! It changes even before we realize it. Great thoughts Kathy1

    Hank

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  5. Somewhere, a lifetime ago this line is a reminder of how quickly time goes..and sometimes the past does seem
    to be a lifetime or two ago..I enjoyed the image of a black and white film replaying summer days...

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  6. Beautiful images invoking pleasant sense of nostalgia. Yes, it is funny how fast we moved, and moved on. The last line is brilliant.

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  7. The silent opera was over faster than any of us intended...great line.
    Age and the physical decline exposed in the last line was good too. Enjoyed this black and white scratchy movie:)

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  8. pretty cool to look at those old film clips...small captures of a time that once was...it really brings back the memories for me of those days when life was a little simpler...sweeter in a different way....yes we do move on rather fast as well...

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  9. This was adorable. I had a chuckle at the hotdog line as at first I thought it read we are charred hotdogs…from being in the sun too long. Reliving childhood memories through old movies ~ thanks for the trip down memory lane ~ smiles

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  10. it's sad when childhood is over way faster than we wished it were or what we expected... and i sometimes wished we could get some of it back...but then....in a way we can...smiles

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  11. So sweet the memories - you make me yearn for something else.. And how you captured the process of aging in the spinning of a film -- that flipping sound when the reel spins...

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  12. Hiya,
    I was captivated by your fine detail: the bubbles in the seawater when it brought the sandcastles down...

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  13. I like the sounds and textures in your poem. "Starfish stared back at us" is a great line - whether they can or not doesn't matter, it evokes the wonderful sense of The Other in all of the living things at the beach. Love how the flapping film recalls the sound of the ocean.

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  14. We were in so much of a rush to grow up when we were young; now we wish we'd taken more time over it - adulthood is not all it appeared to be.

    I love the close observation in this piece; from the seashore details to the tail-flapping sound of the end of the reel.

    Tony

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  15. I liked this - maybe the past is all in black and white....

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  16. I love this for the sense of warmth it shared and wonderful memories of my own at the ocean (growing up in California) and I have to wonder where those old home movies ended up. Hadn't thought of them in so long. I can hear the clicking of the projector in my memory!

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  17. You captured a wonderful time, wonderful memories to have. I too really loved your close.

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  18. I tried to comment on your "Lips" poem for the 55 prompt. I could not find a comment box there, so I am commenting here. But I really liked the poem. How neat to look back and reflect on the moment of first knowing you would marry him. Very touching, really!

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All comments, constructive and otherwise, are welcome and appreciated here. Thank you to those who show an interest in my quirky style of writing, photography, painting, and presenting a feeling or thought and for stopping by A Dwelling by the Sea..