Must know many dances to know love. “Lovers and losers”
Lovers and losers
A Poem by Coyote Poetry
When love comes at the wrong time. Someone must lose.
She told me. “I will cry for you. I would die for you. I will do anything to make you feel safe and loved. Please stay with me. The lonesome road isn’t kind. Stay with me and we will overcome your fear and disappointment.”
I whispered sweet Laura. You wasted your tears upon a greedy man. I told you no stories. I never could love you forever. I have a Gypsy soul and wandering heart.
I held her soft body near. I smelled the sweet scent of her perfume. Her tears had turn to silence. I saw the sadness in her eyes. I had no words to steal her pain away.
She asked me to stay till I had to depart for Texas. I whispered to her. “You can’t lockup a wild animal. He will slowly die than what will be left?” I kiss her forehead, cheek and lips and told her. “I will stay with you till the end.”
I watched her from a distance. More soft tears washed down her tender cheeks. I get up and kiss the salty tears away. I yearned to stay and wished to escape to the highway in the same second.
I was leaving in the morning. I was a Soldier. I went to where I was told. I wanted to sneak away in the morning before she realized I was gone. Laura awoke early and she held me tightly. I saw in her eyes the struggle between hate and love. I didn’t want to look into her eyes. I knew when I did. I would tell her I had loved her since the first time I looked in her eyes. I heard her gentle and sweet voice .
I laid in her lap. She caressed my hair and face. She smiled and told me. “I know you would stay this night. I know I must finish college and you must fight your useless wars. I will pray for your safety. I won’t wait for you. I know love isn’t fair. Distance make the heart yearn for things we do not need..”
I told my kind lover. “Winner and losers in love. Even the beast must rest one day. Freedom is a thousand journeys with a lonely ending. Wise men hold on to the sweet taste of love. “
I left Laura in the early morning. I saw her tears as I rode away. I knew already. People who hold tight to love.
Know joy and peace forever. Beautiful Laura was a lover. She led with her heart. Foolish men leave waste and sadness till they reach a dead-end. A lot of losers in lonely taverns remembering faces and chance you can’t return back to.
Coyote
Written in 1994/Rewritten in 2014
Life is a mean thing but love is even
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I agree. Thank you for reading and the comment.
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🙂
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Hi John, I loved the sense of immediacy or recency in this piece, though I had problems with reading it as a poem – even prose poetry, when I felt it was more suited to a microfiction tag. Maybe that is just me as I’ve been at a microfiction writing workshop at the Byron Bay Writer’s Festival all day!
Just 3 constructive suggestions: a small typo (then) instead of (than) “He will slowly die then what will be left?”; in final line ‘return to’ instead of ‘return back to’; and maybe change ‘chance’ to ‘chances’… otherwise a touching piece of memoir.
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Hey. I know it sounds a little broken, and it doesn’t get back what you’ve lost or what they’ve lost but I can’t help but see how your heart has grown, been made strong and holds so much more understanding than most.
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Most of us learn the hard way. I did. I try to be kinder now. Better to be the soft and kind voice than the voice, people are trying to escape from.
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reading your writing is like coming home….thank you.
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The old places and memories become more fun with distance and time. Thank you for reading and the comment.
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I really love that you include personal photos with your poetry. Thank you for letting us have a glimpse into your personal world.
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You are welcome Reenie. With added age. Old memories feel like fiction now. Thank you for reading and the comment.
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This poem is very captivating! I enjoyed reading it!
-#PSM
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Thank you for reading and the comment. I do appreciate.
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