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    Headstall
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The content presented here is for informational or educational purposes only. These are just the authors' personal opinions and knowledge.
Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are based on the authors' lives and experiences and may be changed to protect personal information. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Headstall's Reflections - 16. Chapter 16-Poetry prompt 15- Alone and Fallen Stars

Some free verse.
Yeah... one of those days...

Headstall’s Reflections

 

 

Chapter 16

 

 

Alone

 

Surrounded by loved ones, I am adrift

A numbness pervades

A barrage of emotions impossible to sift through

So, I don’t—I can’t

Why should I—let them have their way with me

Instead, I detach myself

Choose to smile

Force myself to listen

Pretend I am part of the conversation

But—I am somewhere else

It isn’t a better place

Just a different place

And the only one there—is me

 

 

Fallen Stars

 

I had dreams

I think I still do

But it’s hard not to think

What’s the point?

I can see the finish line

 

The young should always reach for the stars

I did

But most of them have fallen

They now litter my memories

And I’m not sure I want to wish on another one

That me I’ve always known, though

Yeah… he would

Where the hell is he?

I need him

Thanks for reading.
Copyright © 2017 Headstall; All Rights Reserved.
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The content presented here is for informational or educational purposes only. These are just the authors' personal opinions and knowledge.
Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are based on the authors' lives and experiences and may be changed to protect personal information. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

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Aw Gary ... just want to hug you. I have a vague idea where you're coming from. But you can dig yourself out, cuz you have to, cuz your needed and loved. k i'll shut up now..
tim xoxo

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Your poem are directly vomited from the pure experience. That means you are a step ahead of them already. These poem touched my heart, so is your condition.

 

Tim covered most of what I want to tell. So I would just say, Heal for the people who loved you and forget them who left you.

 

Take care buddy. And Well Done... :)

 

~Emi.

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Well damn "old man" ... I really wish you would stop writing poems that speak for me. If I had the skill "Alone" could have been words I had written ... so I could simply say thanks for saying what I am to angry and frightened to admit.
Um, yeah ... about that "old man" crack earlier ... ew ... not that kind of old man crack. Anyway there is still life ahead [you and me, CG, Carlos too, we're only hitting middle age they tell me] and dreams yet to dream ... you need to walk out to the barn tonight and look at the sky there are still as many stars as ever there were, it's just sometimes all the flash blinds us to them. We're at the stage to better appreciate what life holds ...
Oh, and the words were brilliant.

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Dear Gary, these poems sing so poignantly, so sadly, so full of melancholy and regret. You speak of loneliness and set detachment so vividly, I can place myself there at your side. But were I at your side, I would be the one trying to make you laugh, make you smile, just a little. Thank you for sharing these.

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I don't know how you keep doing it, my friend...once again you hit so many of my musings on the head...yet I can't express them as vividly as you do in so few words--not even in one of my lengthy chapters could I do the same thing.
How many of us achieve our dreams, young or old? I didn't, but writing here has gotten me nearer than before. So many regrets, so many lost chances ungrasped through a lack of boldness or courage...it may be the gods who decide what dreams we have, or how they might be achieved...I certainly never knew. When I began writing in sixth grade, I never envisioned a day when people would read my scribblings from so many different places without ever boying a book. No rich reward from my efforts save the satisfaction of knowing it is appreciated through reviews and emails. How different from the old days of printer's ink and reams of paper as tall as a man!
Is happiness as ethereal as those dreams of old? It seems so, for the young don't often grasp the love of family until they are gone, seeking the charms of the outside world. Only as we age do we recognize the folly of those years. How many with worldy goods are truly happy--they spend their days worrying about getting more, or fearing the loss of what they have. True happiness comes from the simpler things: a friend's smile, the laugh of delight at a new discovery, or the embrace of a loved one, sadly diminishing as we grow older.
I would give up everything if I could go back and relive those lost chances, give hugs to those now gone who meant more to me than I understood at the time...especially those whose lives were too short either through accident or design.
Sorry, I'll go now, my maudlin musings snuck out....

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:hug: :hug: for you my friend. Again, you amaze with the imagery of your words.

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Gary, I've been back to this pair several times since you posted it.

 

Once again, you seem to paint two sides of a coin, with pain.
I've tried to compose a comment, but I can't. I don't know why.
Just realize these are deeply moving, and I thank you for that.

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I think you capture sentiments that most people feel at some point in their lives – at least, reflective folks do. I like the moment of awareness that springs up in "Alone," for sometimes amidst the most people we feel the most isolated.

 

With "Fallen Stars," there are always 'what if's to confront us. The trick is to not them embitter our chances at discovering and seizing new opportunities, for they will always be there too.

 

Thanks for posting these! I enjoyed them.

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Gary,
With very few words you manage to clearly capture places and thoughts that many of us visit often in our minds and lives as well.

 

Thanks,Pam

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The raw emotion in both of these poems bring tears to my eyes. Alone really speaks to me. I know that feeling of being all alone in a crowd. Those barriers might be self-imposed, but that doesn't make them any easier to knock down. You are, as always, a master of the written word.

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On 05/28/2016 04:32 AM, Mikiesboy said:

Aw Gary ... just want to hug you. I have a vague idea where you're coming from. But you can dig yourself out, cuz you have to, cuz your needed and loved. k i'll shut up now..

tim xoxo

I guess it's time to answer these. I feel guilty for avoiding this. Thanks for your words, my friend. I'm fine... I have my moments, but I'm fine. I appreciate your support xoxoxo Gary

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On 05/28/2016 04:57 AM, Emi GS said:

Your poem are directly vomited from the pure experience. That means you are a step ahead of them already. These poem touched my heart, so is your condition.

 

Tim covered most of what I want to tell. So I would just say, Heal for the people who loved you and forget them who left you.

 

Take care buddy. And Well Done... :)

 

~Emi.

Hey, Emi. Thank you for the support. There's no bad guy in this. Sometimes we have to make decisions we don't want to, and it hurts, and it's hard to stick to them. These came from me on a bad day... thanks again, buddy... cheers... Gary...

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On 05/28/2016 11:59 AM, Parker Owens said:

Dear Gary, these poems sing so poignantly, so sadly, so full of melancholy and regret. You speak of loneliness and set detachment so vividly, I can place myself there at your side. But were I at your side, I would be the one trying to make you laugh, make you smile, just a little. Thank you for sharing these.

Thanks, Parker. These are a product of some pain and struggling, but I've been here before. I appreciate your words of friendship, and your support... cheers... Gary...

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On 05/28/2016 05:09 PM, ColumbusGuy said:

I don't know how you keep doing it, my friend...once again you hit so many of my musings on the head...yet I can't express them as vividly as you do in so few words--not even in one of my lengthy chapters could I do the same thing.

How many of us achieve our dreams, young or old? I didn't, but writing here has gotten me nearer than before. So many regrets, so many lost chances ungrasped through a lack of boldness or courage...it may be the gods who decide what dreams we have, or how they might be achieved...I certainly never knew. When I began writing in sixth grade, I never envisioned a day when people would read my scribblings from so many different places without ever boying a book. No rich reward from my efforts save the satisfaction of knowing it is appreciated through reviews and emails. How different from the old days of printer's ink and reams of paper as tall as a man!

Is happiness as ethereal as those dreams of old? It seems so, for the young don't often grasp the love of family until they are gone, seeking the charms of the outside world. Only as we age do we recognize the folly of those years. How many with worldy goods are truly happy--they spend their days worrying about getting more, or fearing the loss of what they have. True happiness comes from the simpler things: a friend's smile, the laugh of delight at a new discovery, or the embrace of a loved one, sadly diminishing as we grow older.

I would give up everything if I could go back and relive those lost chances, give hugs to those now gone who meant more to me than I understood at the time...especially those whose lives were too short either through accident or design.

Sorry, I'll go now, my maudlin musings snuck out....

Thanks, CG. Sorry for taking so long to respond I appreciate your thoughts and sentiments. Living is about the future... not the past, but we can never escape it. I have always tried to be master of my own destiny, but my life has been filled with doubts, and I have them now... have I made a mistake? Thanks you for such a wonderful and touching review... and thanks for being my friend... cheers... Gary...

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On 05/29/2016 12:33 AM, Reader1810 said:

:hug: :hug: for you my friend. Again, you amaze with the imagery of your words.

Thanks, Reader. Sorry to take so long to respond. These were hard for me. Thank you for liking these poems, and for reviewing... I'm doing okay... cheers... Gary...

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On 05/31/2016 06:55 AM, AC Benus said:

I think you capture sentiments that most people feel at some point in their lives – at least, reflective folks do. I like the moment of awareness that springs up in "Alone," for sometimes amidst the most people we feel the most isolated.

 

With "Fallen Stars," there are always 'what if's to confront us. The trick is to not them embitter our chances at discovering and seizing new opportunities, for they will always be there too.

 

Thanks for posting these! I enjoyed them.

Thanks, AC. Sometimes words come out that can send me in a tailspin. This was one of those times. Yet I needed to speak them. I appreciate hearing your views on them. thanks for reviewing... cheers... Gary...

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On 05/31/2016 11:52 PM, pzetts3 said:

Gary,

With very few words you manage to clearly capture places and thoughts that many of us visit often in our minds and lives as well.

 

Thanks,Pam

Thanks, Pam... as I've said previously, these were difficult for me, but they were good for me too. It makes a situation more real and easier to deal with. Thank you for the kind words, my friend... cheers... Gary...

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On 06/02/2016 12:38 AM, LitLover said:

The raw emotion in both of these poems bring tears to my eyes. Alone really speaks to me. I know that feeling of being all alone in a crowd. Those barriers might be self-imposed, but that doesn't make them any easier to knock down. You are, as always, a master of the written word.

Thank you, Lit. There was a lot of subdued emotion when I wrote them. I think we all know that feeling, and many of us know about looking back, and of being tired of life not letting us keep our stars in the air... thanks for the review, my friend... cheers... Gary...

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Guest Arazon

Posted (edited)

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Edited by Arazon
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On 05/28/2016 05:58 AM, dughlas said:

Well damn "old man" ... I really wish you would stop writing poems that speak for me. If I had the skill "Alone" could have been words I had written ... so I could simply say thanks for saying what I am to angry and frightened to admit.

Um, yeah ... about that "old man" crack earlier ... ew ... not that kind of old man crack. Anyway there is still life ahead [you and me, CG, Carlos too, we're only hitting middle age they tell me] and dreams yet to dream ... you need to walk out to the barn tonight and look at the sky there are still as many stars as ever there were, it's just sometimes all the flash blinds us to them. We're at the stage to better appreciate what life holds ...

Oh, and the words were brilliant.

Holy crap, dugh. I am so sorry. I don't know how I missed this. What a special review, and you were right about us and where we are at. I was struggling at the time, and someday, I will tell you why. This, your words, make my day. Poetry is so personal, and those times when it doesn't quite reach people, is plagued with uncertainty, so the times it does, where people relate enough to comment, it makes me feel not SO alone. Thank for this wonderful review, and again, so sorry I missed replying... cheers, my friend... Gary...

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On 05/29/2016 12:48 AM, skinnydragon said:

Gary, I've been back to this pair several times since you posted it.

 

Once again, you seem to paint two sides of a coin, with pain.

I've tried to compose a comment, but I can't. I don't know why.

Just realize these are deeply moving, and I thank you for that.

Hey skinny. I'm so sorry I missed replying to this review. I did it to dugh too. All I can say is I was in a bad place and trying to work myself out of it. I understand what you are saying. I believe we've all been there, and maybe to dwell, is pain to some of us. I thank you for being moved, and again, I am so sorry for the delay... I so appreciate the support... cheers, buddy... Gary...

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On 07/07/2016 12:13 AM, Arazon said:

Wow Gary, you’re poetry really captures me on a deep level. As individual as we are, I can easily relate to ‘Alone’. As for ‘Fallen Stars’: also quite heartfelt. I’ve experienced circumstances where I’ve seen the stars fall and question whether to wish on any more...I can understand if this wasn’t easy to write, so thank you. (I hope we all keep reaching for the stars, as there’s still a sky-full).

Thanks, Arazon! I believe a lot of us can relate to these. In case you couldn't guess, I was having a rough time, and while I tend to be stoic on the outside for the most part, inside I was falling apart. These were straight from my heart, so I'm happy you got something from them. You're right about them not being easy, bur poetry gives me that outlet I need. I've been feeling a little more positive lately... I can make a wish now :) . Thanks for the wonderful review, my friend (and thanks for ATOD)... cheers... Gary...

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