It’s in the details.
The thin strand of hair:
the one that falls across her face,
tickles her nose, when she is so intent
upon a task, the one she pushes back
to have fall again. The one, in the moment,
when you know you love her more,
than any other woman.
Perhaps you should love
all women as well. Perhaps you love
her more and every day is consumed
by finding ways to love her more.
Most likely,
not.
Days come and go in their fullness
of redundancy, beating on you with their sameness.
Until, idle, at a desk, leaning on a shovel,
driving your car, stopped at a light --
you remember -- the strand of hair
and you love her all over again.
As you should.
Can you give her all your love?
Would you want to wake up
in the darkness of worms and moss,
green and brown in people’s memories,
realizing you still had love left?
Love --
you could have given her,
she of the wild tresses, the focused eye,
she who owned your heart
and who you let slip from countless days
when you could have held her, told her.
There is nothing to be gained
from maudlin waters. Tears
matter little if nothing changes.
When you remember all the details
etched permanently on a heart
seldom visited, put off because
there are jobs to be done,
things to be taken care of --
will you choose to empty your heart;
make sure she hears every word
of your love; will you be brave
enough the next time the hair
falls across her face that your nose
is tickled as well? Will you interrupt
her focus and concentration to shine
back upon her all the magnificence
you absorb in these moments --
the moments etched,
indelible, beyond graves
in your spirit for all lifetimes?
12:11 PM
11/22/01
Alexandria, VA
In a list
- Souls of Poets • next in list
- Lifetimes • next in list
- MY FAVORITE POEMS TO READ (other authors) • next in list
- Inside of me • next in list
- spiritual • next in list
A contest entry
- Inviting My 15 Closest Friends Here Round 1 by Aurielle.
1000 points, ended November 28, 2007, 10 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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makes me think I do not give as much love and devotion to my Lord as i should for he who died for me gave his all, oh how much he took and bore upon that cross for me so that I might not die as lost....yes, we do not praise him enough and lead others to him as we should...it saddens me so, it makes me cry the ground cries from his blood that was shead for us and especially for the ones who have refused him....he feels all our pain he feels all our sorrow, he feels all our every fiber....
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We need to practice saying thank you more often. Take more time to realize how gifted we are and spend less time in our heads worrying about how important or unimportant we are. We are. Focus up and become present and be in this moment activily present and God will be with you and celebrate you and all the things you have learned about love that are true will be present and you will breathe like you never knew what it was to take a breath.
Love, Tom B.
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This is truly a piece inspired by the genuine affection and observations of someone you hold dear. It has that Neruda quality but it fairly shouts of the author's hand and gentleness. It is simple and a delight to the senses. Love, C
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This one danced out of me right before going to service and a thanksgiving pot luck at my Quaker Meeting House. I was looking at the Silver Maple bear of leaves out front, walking down hill towards the corner my house sits on and there it was talking to me. I had to run in and write it down. Funny how life is like that sometimes. Yeah, it is my sensibilites and my way of being with life.
Love, Tom B.
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You know I would have to say this one ranks up their with my favorites from you. There are a couple more of yours that you have penned that will always be a treasure to me. I have had moments like this that I will always cherish- that is when the strand falls down and there have been moments missed with some.
I know these moments are in the making once again for me
It feels like I am soaring! (Thank you)
You have a way Tomis to tell a story that is so beautiful and show all us readers how to truly just open your heart and show your love. What good is it if it's not shared with the people you love...
Only a man of your stature would know...
This is GOLD in my book & my heart!
All the best
~Joy
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This is a story for the brave of heart. The ones that may have felt the pain once of not speaking up, but know they will never allow it to happen again. I wrote this and I am going to read it at the next open mic I go to. It reads like I tell a story when I am in a telling mood. You have heard me so you know what I mean. Most of what matters occurs in a moment and then is gone. There is no room for doubt only acting out of faith and knowing.
Thanks for all the faith in me as well.
Love, Tom B.
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Man, I have felt this way only once in my life, and losing her to the fact that I did'nt say those simple three words enough still rakes my heart. Noticing those little details makes a real man shake in his boots at times, knowing that he is loved. It's a grand feeling, one that I long to feel again.
Thanks for the link, killer write. -
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Something told me you would know. I will tell you they can happen again when you are clear in your soul that you will not leave any love untold.
Love, Tom B.
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"will you be brave
enough the next time the hair
falls across her face that your nose
is tickled as well? " Just lovely. A picture was painted in my mind ... a very pleasing picture! I like the way you use words...or maybe it's the line breaks. Something
unique anyway.
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Perhaps, this is nothing more than an old man's admonitions and cautions about love. More likely, it is the understanding that this life time is not a reheasal and if we desire to taste it fully and fill it with all the things that make a difference this is one of the places we must start. I can't wait this Sunday to read it at an open mic. This is one that has been around for over ten years and is going strong. I think, no, I'm sure that it should be heard and received well.
Thanks, I thought just from your poems I have read and from what you like in my poems that this one would touch you.
Love, Tom B.
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I like it!
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thank you.
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it has alot of meanings to it....
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cooooool.....great write!
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Thanks for all of the good cheer.
Love, Tom B.
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BREATH TAKING
To give completely of ones love is to give all...Know greater gift then giving...Your words touch so deep inside and remind me just how fragile our lives are and how we should make sure those we love NO IT! Can I have my breath back now?...Master Poet you to me, are a true wonder
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this one is a gift. It came to me all at once Thanksgiving Morning. As I like to say, It wrote me. Glad you enjoyed this one. I love it
Love, Tom B.
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This filled me with a longing for my own husband who is too involved with his work and football, basketball, etc to ever notice such mundane things... , it is good for my soul to know that all men aren't alike. What a fine detailed piece of loving artistry!
Frogz~
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Change the gender in the poem and mayhaps you should just tell him. I, only, know that I am larger for giving away all my love. I don't do it as often as I should, but this is never about perfection. It is about being comitted to the endeavor.
Love, Tom B.
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From the time she knew and you...love was all it took. The simple things in life that are unsaid...The way she brushes her hair from her face, her smile the way it captivates your eyes! True love never needs to be spoken ...but a lady does sure love to hear those words from the heart! ~Sie
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I wrote this to urge everyone to give all the love they have in their hearts.
I hope it helps
Love, Tom B.
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Ah Regret, how much time do we spend wasting our time on regret; you would be surprised at how many times just doing something a little different wouldn't have made a difference at all. Move on with a smile! (LOL)
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It would be a miracle to live a life without regret. It would mean either being perfect in sharing all that you deem important or being so disconnected from your universe as to be untouched by it. Neither is humanly likely
When my mother was diagnosed with cancer, I made sure she knew how much I loved her. Did I grieve her passing less? No. Did I have a greater inner peace ? Yes. Is this a selfish act. It doesn't function in that paradigmn.
We change our relationship with regret by shifting our relationship with ourselves and our sense of personal value. We also change it by being more pragmatic in understanding what is possible. A lot of vision, a lot of love and laughter at how human we are.
Thanks for the comment. I hope you don't mind my comments. I love the exchange of ideas.
Peace & Light
Tom B. -
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Nope, quite enjoyed your reply.
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very good
No hiding it , you're in love..and you got it bad. A great piece with strong emotions offering pure gentle love. It paints a picture with words that make you feel them...this is hard to accomplish and you done it well. I loved your poem and found it refreshing and a happy read. The strength and conviction of your love came through your words and into my heart.
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We let love come in a distant second. Too often, we later have to live with the regret of not sharing what was in our heart.
I appreciate your sharing how this poem touched you. I can ask for nothing greater from my readers and everyone touches me.
Thank you.
Love, Tom B.
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this was amazing
i love it the love and emotions i felt as i read this beautiful poem
were wonderful
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Thank you.
I simply wanted to highlight how we need to share our love. I am pleased that it touched you.
Love, Tom B.
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What a deep and true poem this is, and very, very beautiful. I don't know what else to say, I guess this just touched somewhere inside of me...speachless
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Great compliment to leave someone speechless. Thanks. Hopefully you will read more. This one is special but you might enjoy Erato as well. Glad you stopped by.
Love, Tom B.
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Awww such a lovely write/read...to find such love, and take it for granted..never having the so called time to stop and cherish it as we should..letting days pass by forgetting to express what our heart feels...a wonderfully contemplative piece..thank you so much for sharing something that hopefully makes people pause and take notice, provoking action in their own love lives.
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Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts.It is a gift to me when someone lets me hear how it touched them and they responded. Yes, I would feel I had given the world a gift if more people stopped and said I love you a little more often.
Love, Tom B.
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of course, you were right, its much more than enjoyable though. We get so complacent, even with love. i love many of your words here, but especially, beating on you with their sameness, its a wonderful expression. this has left me with a feeling of isolated melancholy, how wonderful it would be to know a love like this. a fab poem my friend xx
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this is one of those poems that came to me in a rush. It isn't the first time I have thought these thoughts but it is the first time I was able to express them poetically. We know love by the way we share. The greater our ability to understand that love shows up and grows only out of our sharing the chances are greater of creating it. Just cause it is simple don't make it easy.
My thanks for stopping by and sharing yourself with me.
Love, Tom B.
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EXCELLENT!!!
a strand of hair fallen, pushed back, memories brought forth. such vivid imagery. every so often i read a poem that moves my heart beyond description. this is one such poem. this is a wonderful write. i really like this. thank you for sharing this. keep writing! God bless you always
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I knew you would. You understand the symbolism, the moments when you suddenly are overwhelmed by how much you love someone. Thanks for stopping by. I am glad I could share this with you.
Love, Tom B.
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you write : "tears matter little if nothing changes". But the ones that I can feel welling up for the sheer beauty of truth in this do matter-for they are tears of thank you for being able to touch a place so deep that sometimes has to remain nailed shut as not to allow the devil in to destroy it and at the same time not to allow the closest and dearest things to escape. There is turmoil there deep within right now.It makes me see the "anytime soon" gravesite, where all that I love and cherish will stand there alongside of me . I know that I won't cry for myself----but in the eyes of the others I will see the pain in their hearts and the questions in their eyes "why didn't she"? And I know that she will be laid to rest without ever having had a single moment of regret at NEVER having let a single strand of hair come anywhere close enough to tickle her nose.
I am reading this completely on a personal level [because of present life circumstances]and it feels like "home" to me. There are no words for me to tell you the beauty of the message in your write. May everyone recognise it [it looks as if they have]
thank you my friend and much love
xoxoxoxoxo
reenie
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It seems to me that the tears you cry matter deeply and are an expression of changes inside yourself. You always give me more of you than perhaps words can tell. I am lucky to have a friend such as you. I understand.
Love, Tom B.
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I understand this most because I have thought most of those things you wrote. And moved that hair many times
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Great write
this is an excelent piece -
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Thanks.
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Fabulous Write
Wow that was some write. I did love it and life is to short isn't it to let that strand of hair not to be noticed. How precious love is when all is said and done in the end, right? In your spirit for all lifetimes? Thank you for sharing with me your poem. Excellent write, blessings Kelle Marie, stavykm
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I thought you would and thank you for making me right. You are so correct, life is far too short not to make sure that we have shared all the love we have. Far too short not to make sure that the ones we love have got everything we wish to give to them. What good does any of it do after one of us has passed?
Thank you again for enjoying it so much. Thanks for all the good cheer.
Love, Tom B.
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oh my... you make it all so magical
i'll think of you next time i shoo a loose strand aside there's no other way...
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Ro- you catch it as gently as the new born sun. Consider it a gift of memory and I hope your hair reminds you frequently till you come to visit me and my family.
Love, Tom B.
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simply lovely. i like this very much indeed. i was expecting something very different from the title, though.
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The devil is in the details
I am a designer and I deal with him all the time. Glad you were not disappointed even when you didn't receive what you expected.
Love, Tom B.
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Such delicate beauty in this write...I adore the note of that strand of hair...That line in itself is true poetry to know that a man would take the time to remember it and allow it to define and question a love...very powerful write...
Of course I would adore it...smiles
Thank you for sharing and best wishes with this beautiful entry...
Peace
~A~
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There are just moments when you have a vision, a strand of hair, bubbles of soap on a nose, both hands reaching for the baby as it awakes and you know love, all of it in a rush. I am glad you feel I caught that and more. May your holiday season be one that sparkles with new discoveries full of joy.
Love, Tom B.
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Sometimes it is the strangest things that we hold in our memories. A strand of hair that tickles her nose - beautiful metaphor and powerful image. Best of luck in the contest.
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The memory of a moment, the symbol it becomes is only a reminder of all that we love. We are blessed to be able to hold on to them so we can bookmark the moments when we rediscovered how we are blessed.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Love, Tom B.
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I am blown away. I hope you write for many years to come this moved me in a way like few others have. It speaks as if I am speaking to myself in the mirror. Just spectacular!!!
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Thank you. It is a high compliment to tell someone they have reflected your heart and soul. While it is true that one of the gifts of art is to show us we are not alone, it is a gift to the artist to know that they have captured a tuth so clearly it resonates for someone else. Thank you.
Love, Tom B.
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beautifully written, a true and chiding thought. Thank youfor sharing this.
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You have visited so often recently, I thought you would enjoy this. Thanks for checking it out.
Love, Tom B.
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This brings me back to a time and forward to where I am. I have often stopped in the middle of the day to go to a place where I feel everything that brings my lover to where I am. Beautifully written with depth and a knowledge of love.
Soulful Woman
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I knew you knew this place.
The important thing is knowing that love never surrenders but only shows up when it is shared. We should share it everday with those we love just to make sure we are not left wishing we had said more often.
Love, Tom B.
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I just love this !! Storm
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Thanks Storm. May it guide your heart in times of doubt.
Love, Tom B.
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Wow! Great poem. It was written very well! Nice job.
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Thanks for the applause. You have a wonderful holiday season. Love Tom B.
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Confused by the title
Lovely love poem - however, the title just doesn't seem to fit such a beautiful write!
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"The devil is in the detail" I am a kitchen designer and I know that old saw all to well. I started this poem with a detail in a telling moment. Glad you enjoyed it. Love, Tom B.
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Beautifully Penned Bravo!!!
I've had moments just like these and you seem to have read my mind. I remember being at the shore my hair wind blown. I was told it was a unforgettable blessing that he had found me. This poem made me smile, and journey back into the past..seeing my father sit and watch my mother cooking, and he would be smiling...now I know why all my brothers and sisters kept popping out...its that look of love pure passionate love..........thats voiced in spirit, and as beautifully with words.....Unforgettable Love....Novy
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I love the images and stories you share. Yes, we have these moments when we know why we choose them above all others.
Thanks for reading.
Love, Tom B.
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eep... flicks strand of hair back across face... this was almost scary. too much like me. still a brill poem an i loved it.. even if it did remind me too much of me.
hugs,
feral,
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The greatest gift of art is: it lets you know you are not alone. Thanks for letting me know you can see yourself in this.
Love, Tom B.
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In this entire amazing poem, there was one bit that stood out to me...
"tears mean little if nothing changes"
I think these are the most true words that have ever been spoken...
Thank you for sharing this scribe. God bless.
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So change things now. Think about it. Every so often I let my son know just how much I love him. I don't convince or try to have him understand. I just drop all barriers and let him know. He melts. Even my wife who can be cynical at times melts when I do it to her. I have cried enough tears after friends have been lost. I found myself with a greater sense of peace when I have told them. Love, Tom B.
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Life is too short to let the little things pass. One should tell their wife/husband daily that they love, them, for who knows if it's the last time they'll be able to. Can sure relate to this, makes one feel wonderful to have someone to feel about them this way. Lovely sentiments expressed here, liked the flow and the sentiments so well expressed in these lines.
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Thanks. you see perfectly what I was trying to say. We never know when and the most common plaint I have heard from mourners is "I should of told them how much I loved them"
Love, Tom B.
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Thanks indeed yes Tom i know i can relate to things in this piece. Always giving me a uplift arent ya.
Thanks again for sahring this with me...
Tory
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Glad you enjoyed this. I, just, figured you would enjoy it since you believe so deeply in letting your man know how much you love him
Love, Tom B.
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I read this early this morning...And, I am reading it again..."tears matter little if nothing changes..." And once again, this line simply draws me in closer.
Love, Lane
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This came to me in a moment. Complete. I had to race into the house and write it down. We know that love can never be shared enough with the ones who matter to us. The tears afterward change . . .
May your day be rich.
Love, Tom B.
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OH! How pretty this one is! What a great poem. This is one that should be passed out to all the guys on Valentine's day! lol How fun. It was very endearing and uplifting. Thanks for the pick me up.
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I think it goes both ways. The question is will you let yourself hold back on love. It only exisits when it is shared. I have seen more sorrow in the heart of a mourner because they felt they hadn't said I love you often enough to be sure the other person knew how much they cared.
Thanks for the sweet review. May your holiday season be rich.
Love, Tom B.
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Like that the title works as a step into the actual poem itself.Also the natural affectation and affection,it is the little things that matter within the myriad must do and need to do and oh the mundane,yet love has an appetite and needs to be fed regularly,not by the clock and to routine and regulation but by hunger felt and hunger met.Yes,take the time to just hold that strand of hair and place a gentle kiss or whisper sotto voce words to show you care,run them a bath after a long day and show tenderness even in the busy of the day.Am very much in tune with this write,the imagery and emotion aswell as the thought provoking notion.I should enjoy listening to this as spoken word.Bravo.
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Love only matters when you give it away. We forget sometimes when caught by the mundane grind and burn to keep giving it to the ones we love. Just my little reminder.
Glad you enjoyed this. I can see it lit your light of romance.
Love, Tom B.
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beautiful!
"she of the wild tresses, the focused eye,"
is an especially wonderful line, to me!
I do not know what else to say... words fail me!
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Ah. . . to steal the words from a word smith. I am complimented beyond expression.
Glad this danced so well for you.
Love, Tom B.
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WOW
I would say that if this were in my contest, it would surely shine...This got me so emotional reading it, and as you already knew, I love it....
Such a sensual tone with emotional undertones....There is so much power in these words..
Lynda
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what matters is: it has touched you and moved you. I thought that you, "the angel, whose wings sing with the dew"
would be caught by the loss of love unsaid. Better that we swear not to end any day without giving all the love we have.
Love, Tom b. -
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awwwwww your reply touched me as well...
I am touched to be called
"the angel, whose wings sing with the dew"
sniff sniff that is so sweet
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I only reflect what I come to know about the woman, the poet, the artist. Be full and rich this holiday season.
Love, Tom B.
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Well this one surely stands out in a crowd. You have outdone even yourself !!! And effectively chastened us for all of our self absorbed indifference to the beauty of love, when it is right before our eyes. All those small details, that we all to often overlook, until we are sad and alone and those details are but distant memories! Bravo! For this one, Tom...
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<
I was involved in a seminar where the leader of the seminar asked, "If you went to your grave without giving all your love,what good would it do you?" It has stayed with me for the last twenty years and I finally found a way to say it without sounding trite.
A friend of mine pointed out to me that it was often just a tiny detail that made us fall in love. I agreed with him and this poem finally allowed me to catch that message as well.
I wrote this just before we were leaving for a potluck Thanksgiving at our Meeting. I got it all and had to run inside and write it down before I forgot it. I am glad I did.
Thanks for all of your comments. I am glad you enjoyed my efforts.
Love, Tom B.
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wow, most excellent TB....the romantic feeling that is swept by the one moment in time of the strand of hair falling over his face....its all in the details, the dance of loves neverending moments....awww but to give those up and at the end of your days have regret! I think NOT! Capture each moment, savor each second....you are one of my absolute faves, I sit mesmerized at your inane ability to capture my heart! with the whisper of your words, each line a caress of my soul....
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"I sit mesmerized at your inane ability to capture my heart!"
I would be insane as well as inane if it allowed me the innate ability to delight your heart and ignite your smile!!
I thought you would enjoy this. I knew you would understand this all too well.
Thanks for all of your wonderous comment. I am touched by the way you hold me.
Love, Tom B.
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One small detail remembered is often worth more than a thousand words, for it lives in your heart and mind no matter where you are, it would always bring joy to be remebered this way. Love, C
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You love with all your heart. I know.
We often cannot see all of our love at once, so we catch the symbol that marks the time and space where we were swept away. For it is a wonderous moment to be totally a swirl and flying instead of drowning.
Love, Tom B.
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this leaves so much unsaid. to kow that every time that strand strays away to have fallen in love with her all over. is just so imcredible. and something i have found recently, with my significant other. to fall in love over and over, is so wonderful. but words are not just the only thing to be heard. it is the actions that speak of greater magnitude.
Thanks for sharing this lovely piece. and good luck in the contest.
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I can tell your heart knows the path well. I can hear you have been trusting the path as the one you will walk. Celebrate and be richer.
Love, Tom B. -
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yes, i have traveled this path thousands of times. it is one that i always stray from tho. thanks for reminding me of the "little" things that make life so good
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wo this was different and urely always to wanted to read.Wow its onna be hard to judge this contest...
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Oh so evocative, my friend....how dear and endearing jsut a strand of hair can bge... I know a strand of hair by ehart. ravo!!!
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Be is strand of hair, a smile, a shadow broken by a moving hand, any of these and more become the talisman of what our heart holds. I know you know I just wanted to remind us in this season of giving that what we give and receive is Love.
Love, Tom B.
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Such are the memories one cherishes, the grand moments when heart swells to a full smile and blesses both recipient and giver, so that when old arrives, the freshness of love survives the worst of winters.
I couldn't help welling at this one, for some, winter comes before they ever feel the beauty of such a smile.
When the cycle is complete, the forget-me-nots still bloom, Tomis. Extraordinary
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There is grace in letting ourselves love without regard or defense. There is power in a moment when one realizes how much you love, even greater when you are able to share it and celebrate it.
Love your comment. I could hear the beginning of a poem.
Love, Tom B.
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