nostalgia – One Woman's Quest

1960s

60s were a catalyst for change
opulence of psychedelics
Twiggy and Mary Quant
Beatles and Rolling Stones
make love not war – sit-ins
and flower power…
Who remembers when?

(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own. RIP Mary Quant.)

Nostalgic (tanka)

Castles and lockets:
the makings of childhood dreams –
I wander pastures
of blue-tainted memories,
see patterns on regret’s wings.

(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @ Vjknutson. Image my own.)

Nuances of nostalgia –
jagged edges
succumbing
to unsuspecting cubes

nourishment
moving and opening
I distract
We grapple
under construction

Meaning percolates
This is life
these bits and pieces
of a resurrection
dragons and time machines
ticket stubs
scattered.

(Originally titled, Weaving Bits and Pieces, this was a found poem – the product of collective responses to a prompt. Image my own.)

Attitude Wins

If I measure progress
by “used-to’s”
illness and age win

I used to play tennis
speed and muscle
ease of ambition

This place, the nexus
of how life has changed,
teaches me appreciation

Frost in my veins
permanent, warmth
of memories aglow.

(Image my own.
Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson)

Beat Goes On

Big band galas
Seaside dancehalls
Swing dancing
Men in uniform
Memory-soaked
daydreams like
shots of adrenaline
arthritic fingers tap
to a distant tune.

(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson.
Image my own)

First Love

Endings
berry-coloured
sentiments
resting on a shelf

Nostalgia
doesn’t give a lick
about failures
cherishes emotion

No amount
of cunning can erase
the sweet taste
of first love.

(Image my own)

Rainbows

Nostalgia casts rainbows
over stormy passages
Why is darkness so alluring?

I breathe passion into losses
soul revolting against the light
committed to seduction of perhaps

Where is the wisdom in this brooding?
Naïve rumination seldom begets the gold
best to look away when rainbows appear.

(For Eugi’s Weekly Challenge: rainbows. Image my own.)

Mothers Have Regrets

Fancy myself pragmatic
but these cherubic faces
render me nostalgic

Not for the times –
for they were hard –
but for the ideal lost

Speculate on failings
shallow expectations,
pray I did enough.

(Found this old photograph of my two girls.)

Alone

Soft, the day’s fading light,
hushed, the manic pace –
my heart’s rhythm lulled
beats a nostalgic melody –
love’s memories bittersweet.

(Tuesdays, I post a poem from Twitter. You can follow me @Vjknutson. Image from personal collection.)

Faulty Vision

Cupped hands gather tears
dreams once clear now misted, gone –
nostalgic ideals.

(Written for RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Challenge: water/ smoke. Also for Reena’s Exploration challenge – image featured.)

Tag: nostalgia