Anticipation

A tiled bench and fountain in the Jardines de Murillo, Sevilla, Spain

For Sunday Scribblings, it's all about anticipation:

In high school I wrote an essay
and Carly Simon sang a song
about anticipation:
that restless waiting for something undefined,
expectation and excitement.

Anguished anticipation
almost a physical ache, yearning for more,
hardly daring to breathe
longing for something, anything to change:
a light to dawn; an outstretched hand.

Suddenly a smile dazzles the room,
instant recognition as hearts race.
Long-awaited meeting of kindred spirits
impatient wanderings to this end:
the elusive prize in plain sight.

Despite every effort
even the best strategies can unravel. Fate intervenes,
flogging an alternate game plan
in a language you don't understand,
yet the stakes are tightrope high.

Years later fragments of that foreign clime
seek you out, melancholy clings for days,
scratching old wounds until they weep.
Precious memories wrap parcels of time;
dreams haunt your nights, still searching for the key.

Unlocking the mysteries of timing
that could take two people made for each other
and let geography and circumstance deter them
from the one thing they wanted most;
wrench their eyes off the prize, even for a moment.

But reality's harsh glare blinds your vision
and you sigh, tucking that dream away for safekeeping.
It wasn't meant for the countenance of years
but to provide solace in the desert,
grateful for magic remembered.

Like Cavafy's Ithaca,
anticipation gave you the journey
and has no lessons left.
The belief in joy and possibility
propelled you forward, seeking treasure.

For a while, its promise glittered
and shimmered brightly in the sun.
Then a veil lifted, the light dimmed
and the miracle turned into a mirage.
Still, in the desert flowers bloom.

Comments

[TwilightSpider]

This is so beautiful and just breaks my heart. How anticipation and effort and hope can still ultimately amount to nothing. *sigh*

[chiefbiscuit]

Very nice indeed. Thank you. From anticipation to intervention and then disappointment. You have captured it well.

[January]

Great take on the prompt, and a wonderful poem.

[jerri]

"Longing for something, anything to change."

I remember that feeling as well as the words to Carly's song.

Wonderful post. Thanks.

[giggles]

Great scribble and wonderful reminder of the angst and excitement of anticipation in my youth! Enjoyable read!

Giggles

[colleen]

I can't help but think of the word without also thinking of ketchup. And now more and more they are using "our" songs to sell stuff on TV. I try not to anticipate but I do.

[Footpad]

Lovely, as always!

I liked the "fragments" stanza best; very poignant.

-- f

[JanePoe (aka Deborah)]

Wonderful post about the changing tides of anticipation - beautiful writing, dear T. xo, JP

[rel]

Tara,
I enjoyed this, showing both sides of anticipation: Hopeful expectation..unfulfilled...waiting like a dormant flower in the desert to bloom again if only in soul refreshing memories.
As usual you slice right to the heart of a topic!
rel

[ren.kat]

This is great. I'll be back to read this again. And thanks for the link to Cavafy- I'm going to have to have a closer look there, too.

[Neasa]

Bittersweet & lovely. Cavafy's one of my favorite poets & Ithaca is one of his best - so nice to see him referenced.

[Amber]

This made my heart tighten, because the words were so perfect for that feeling. I love the way it started, and I loved how it ended...even though sometimes we wish it were different.

:)

[Tammy]

This was really great Tara...wow! Jordana is just gorgeous! Enjoy her visit! XXOO

[Pam Aries]

How lovely! your poems are so wonerful to read! I also wanted to comment on how absolutely beautiful your daughter is! Oh and merci for the Paris windows! I so love to look at them! I hope you are having a joyous holiday season! It has been very warm here in Charleston! Like Spring!

[Regina Clare Jane]

A very beautiful poem... sad in a way, but the last line brings in hope again. Thank you!

[Michelle]

I really like how you ended this. It seems to me that you put it precisely how it is.

[Kamsin]

I love the line about the stakes being 'tightrope high'. Very beautiful poem!

[kristen]

This is so incredible Tara, I'd like to print it out and save it in my journal if I could. You've captured the very best definition of the word anticipation. xoxo

[Laura]

This is very eloquent and heartfelt, Tara.

[Catherine]

I'm catching up after just a few days and I'm astounded at how many posts there are to catch up on. You are a prolific and talented writer, and your daughter is beautiful. I love the Paris window displays.

[Kay]

fate intervenes....indeed.

Very powerful!

[tinker]

What a lovely, poignant poem...not all love is meant to be forever, I suppose; no matter how much we might wish it. Your words are tugging at my heartstrings, Tara - sending you ((hugs)).
xo

[naturegirl]

Reading this lovely poem reminds me of a true stoy where two people I know met after their spouses died and they reunited after some 30 years had passed between them.It ended sadly as one of them died shortly after they reunited.
Your poem made me think of them..."Fate intervenes..." Interesting how when one reads
written words it evokes a memory! Your writing I love to read Tara! hugs NG