30 Comments
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Cindy Angyal's avatar

Love your whimsical poem, Elizabeth

So enjoy your voice over, especially the muffled giggle behind your words!

You are imagination is very much there, especially when you say I did not say why I say now

loved how you did not limit your experience to just what the guy was saying..

You saw not one cup, but two. The one you added was rich carved.

You were not interested in drinking from the river, but rather enjoying it beauty.

Love the poem and especially the voiceover your voiceover! Thank you

26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Thank you Lucinda for such an always-attentive reading and listening! 💛🌿

The Sea in Me's avatar

'I did not say what I say now' . Hindsight. Experience. Lovely wisdom and mystery in this. Choices and confusion befuddle us, it all becomes clear.

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

Very nice, Elizabeth. I love the reminder that we seldom know the whole of someone else's story.

26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Especially when (like the "me" in this poem) there's only so much of the story that someone will tell you! Thanks for reading, Elizabeth.

Donna McArthur's avatar

This may be my favorite poem of yours! It calls us to look deeper.

26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Thanks, Donna! I'm glad to know it speaks to you.

Weston Parker's avatar

I enjoyed your departure from the scripted thing.

26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

No "A or B" thing every gets all the information, does it? Not until you get off-script. Thanks for reading, Wes.

Fotini Masika's avatar

A girl must guard her secrets :)

Beautifully written, Elizabeth!

26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Guard some, spill some ... ! Thank you for reading, Fotini. 💛🌿

Lisa Andradez's avatar

This is fabulous Elizabeth, I love the repetition of "I did not say" so much is held back when we do these meditation things, and the way you have expressed what you did not say at the time is beautiful💚

26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Thanks so much, Lisa. Maybe part of me knew I needed to save some of what I visualized to put in a poem one day.... 💛🌿

poem and cat's avatar

Thank you for this poem --- a meditation on what changes, what remains unsaid.

26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Thanks so much, p&c! 💛🌿

Margaret Ann Silver's avatar

So beautiful. My favorite lines:

"I did not say

what I say now, how there was not one cup

but two, one plain, one rich dark wood

carved everywhere with vines and crescent moons."

26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Such a beautiful cup it was -- right alongside that plain white utility-kitchen one! Why could I only tell the guide about the one and not the other?

Thank you always for reading, Margaret Ann.

Melanie Bettinelli's avatar

I remember that quiz. Or one very like it. And I remember having a very vivid visualization that I wrote into a poem at the time. I no longer remember any of the details, just the feeling of making a beautiful place in my head, in my heart, that for a long time I liked to revisit. I have no idea what happened to the poem. (It probably wasn't all that good.)

I love what you do here with the repetitions of " I did not say

what I say now" and all the rich visual details.

26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

They did go around, those quizzes, didn't they? The one I took was much longer than I remember, but you're right, the visual journey was detailed and very lovely. The bits I remember are the ones in this poem, where I said only half of each answer (and the boring half!) out loud.

Thanks so much for reading, Melanie. That lost poem will surely add depth and color to new ones that are coming to find you.

Peter Mladinic's avatar

Good poem!

26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Glad you enjoyed it, Peter. Thanks for reading.

Jeni Hankins's avatar

Oh!! Thank you! I’m singing in my head, “whether I have it still.” It’s a banjo feeling and repeats. Thank you for making music spring to my imagination with your poem, Elizabeth.

26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Such a joy to have sparked a phrase of music in Jeni's head! If that phrase of words turns up in a song of yours I will smile and smile.

Sulima Malzin's avatar

Thank you, Dear Elizabeth. This is such a beautifully gentle reminder of how our choices can change with time. Your poem is a perfect fit with the message of my next post. May I use it?

26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Now see, for me as I wrote it, the poem was a reminder of how much can be left unsaid (maybe especially by me?) even when a question is being answered. When I was taking the quiz I saw those bright stones and that beautiful carved cup, I just ... didn't mention them. There was only so much of my "story" that I wanted to reveal. And (come the end of the poem) that's still true in some ways!

AND, I can see how you read the poem and heard the reminder that you did, Sulima. Both things can be true, depending on the reader! Welcome to use it in your next post if you'd like to.

shari young's avatar

Love the riff on that kind of “quiz”. Would like more actually. The commentary on the replies was great. [BTW The widget which brings up the audio version did not work for me]

26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Thanks for reading, Shari. I'm sorry the audio didn't work for you.

shari young's avatar

So audio glitch is not a problem with the post but rather with my computer or email.

26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

I have checked and the audio seems to be working fine in the post.