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that overgrown suitcase of memories
This poem (or an excuse of a poem) was written in a flash for a friend who asked for advice whether to meet an old flame or not.
If you have to go to the North, my love
Why not take the first train
To gaze at the autumn sky
Feel the chilly air in your bones
Clear all the dust
A painting has gathered in years.
Stroke the love that is not lost
Even if for the few moments
when you look at the sky
When all the dust has been cleared
Alas, that will be the time to come back
It will be sad, as it was before
But the quivering moments stolen from life
will come back with thee
And, life shall not be all that empty
you will smile at the little treasure in
that wobbling and quavering,
overgrown suitcase of memories
Tags: memories, poem, Poetry, suitcase
June 30th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
A poet’s way of looking at things can be so much different from a lay man’s.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:14 am
But the quivering moments stolen from life
will come back with thee
And, life shall not be all that empty
you will smile at the little treasure in
that wobbling and quavering,
overgrown suitcase of memories
- This is great
July 1st, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Beautiful, The image of suitcase overgrown…
July 1st, 2008 at 11:38 pm
[...] 1, 2008 I came across the following poem on the blog Jahane Rumi, written by the blog’s author, Raza Rumi. While claimed to have been written “in a [...]
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
The image of memories burgeoning in a suitcase is really potent, and unlike the casual and easy going image of memories strewn along a path or the cliched memories strung on heart beats.
…so what advice did you give this friend? If I were to go by the poem I’d say it was a go-ahead signal; add some more to the suitcase even if it is already overgrown; quite in keeping with what Tennyson once said, “tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Id - that was a clever interpretation - yes indeed I gave the go-ahead and encouraged it to clear the dust, sharpen the inner images and contours..
Of course let the suitcase grow more -
Cubano and Manpreet - many thanks for the kind words
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:55 pm
In fact the very question of whether or not to meet an old flame is so emotionally loaded. Whether or not to rekindle the remnants of feelings that have survived in one’s heart. And the possiblity of going through all that pain of separation again only for a few moments of reunion. Loved these lines:
When all the dust has been cleared
Alas, that will be the time to come back
It will be sad, as it was before
Also reminds me of Parveen Shakir’s ‘Yeh haseen sham apni’: Hamein chahiye tha milna kisi ehd-e-mehrbaan mein…
and…
Youn to muddat tak nahin aaya kabhi un ka khayal
Aur jab aayee to un ki aisi yaad aayee ke… bas!