The flip of a page,
the glance of an eye,
I gaze into history
in my study tonight.
I'm sucked into a room
the exact same as before,
only filled with a bunch of guys -
Including myself, think I count four.
There's one in the corner,
playing with toys by himself;
crawling on the bookcase,
scaling the shelf.
His form looked fuzzy though,
not really clear at all.
I have to dive to save a bottle
that he knocked off with a ball.
Not really paying mind
I put the bottle back in place,
but when I looked twice he was gone...
not a sign, not a trace.
I began to look around for him -
he must have somehow got away -
when I noticed a young man by the fire,
and I heard him speak: "I say..."
He looked in his teens,
rather sharp-looking too;
just leaning there reading,
right next to the flue.
Then I saw the scene change,
right before my eyes:
men armed with swords and shields,
besting the boy in size.
But the boy had changed, too -
he was armed with two of his own,
he looked a warrior true.
Thus began an epic battle,
with great skill and finesse.
Yet those struck just stood...
the blades were foam - this sport was harmless!
With time, the others faded,
leaving the young warrior alone.
He walked to the shelf after looking at me,
towards the bottle I left on its own.
I walk to the mantle
where the boy had won,
I start to say something, but look to see
a void by the shelf...he, too, had gone.
It is by now I wonder
what the heck's going on,
and I go over to the shelf
that dark-blue bottle sat upon.
I grab the aged thing,
but I can only see a blank label!
Then out the corner of my eye I see
a man, in my chair by the table.
What wasn't there before were books,
many stacks of varying matter.
Cryptology, trivia, science,
even yearbooks of the high-school latter.
The man looked up at me,
somehow forcing me to think,
and his expression eased as he said,
"Would you care for a drink?"
I looked at the drink in his hand,
trying to identify the blue glass -
Wait! Was that...the one I just had?
Confused, I watch him put his book on the mass.
As he picks up the bottle and walks to me,
he stopped before me and softly said, "Behold."
As I stood there looking into blue eyes,
a surge of emotions and thoughts began to unfold.
So many images were all so familiar,
and some were of scenes I just got to see.
It was then that I saw...
that this man was me.
He helped me over to my chair,
as I was still taking in all I'd seen.
As he handed me the bottle, I wondered,
"Is all of this just a dream..?"
I finally look back at him, and he smiled
before slowly becoming mist, flowing
into the dark blue bottle...
the one I was now holding.
Finally I read the inscription,
with my senses in a recollected inventory,
a misty black ink forms a single word:
"Memory."
The bottle begins to float from my hand
back to the shelf with the memories it begot.
It awaited my decision:
to be remembered or forgot.
I grab that ol' bottle
of aged Mem'ry on the shelf,
and with a swig, I say:
"I miss myself."
Author notes
A little explanation, for those wondering:
When I saw this contest, it got me thinking about a bunch of things I missed from different points in my life...some things that happened long ago (like the joy of a child's innocence and ignorance of the problems of the world), to things that had happened rather recently in my life (like belegarth!...which, in essence, is foam sword/spear/axe/shield/javelin [medieval] fighting). All these thoughts began flowing through my mind, and suddenly the thought came: "Why don't I just write about this!?" ...So I did. 
It might seem a little choppy...sorry about that, but that's how it came out.
Hope you enjoy! Thanks for the contest, Allie! ^.^
--Flare the Arcphoenix 
A contest entry
- What Do You Miss? by Auburn Sunrise.
600 points, ended August 3, 2008, 30 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
If you deem this work worthy of one, please leave a comment.
Comments
1 - 17 of 17
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{dropping in to say hello and read a smidge
}
what an interesting piece! the best i've read and a little while, i'd venture
seriously - the perspective gets you thinking and the rythm had me going until the very end. i myself thought it ended too soon >.< XDDDD
an amazing write, my friend --- be proud of it
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Why, thank you for dropping by! ^.^
So glad you like it! I need to get to your poems, too - I'm just dropping into AP right now myself, but when I can I'll return the favor.
Don't worry, though. I'm very proud of it. ^_^
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Wow... I am awe-struck. That was amazing. A very cool way to look back at the past. Your works never disappoint!
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Haha, always good to hear. And read. ^.^
Thank you for the praise!
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No problem. It was well earned.
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Well it sounded like you might've been overindulging in the contents of that bottle while writing this. It called to mind the work of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Perhaps it was the magic and the fireplace reference, but I almost thought you were taking on Santa Claus. And I learned something too--belegarth. Never heard of BMCS before this.
~woof
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Rest assured, the bottle's only filled with memories; I don't drink. ^.^
Well, I'm glad I could assist in the spread of knowledge, if nothing else. =)
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I really enjoyed reading this!
What a wonderful journey you take us on. I love the imagery of them being mist in a bottle to freely draw from, or not.
Ah...if only it were that easy to get at our memories. Being partially amnesic, I find that it is not. But then, there is a reason for all things, including the amnesia. I trust, that in time, that bottle will be opened up more...when the time is right...and as I need to know.
Best wishes in the contest!
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Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. ^.^
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I grab that ol' bottle
of aged Mem'ry on the shelf,
and with a swig, I say:
"I miss myself."
these have to be the best lines in the entire poem
i love the way you describe things exactly the way as one tends to remember them..in bits and pieces...
i just love the ending, especially the last line
Plus, i like the metaphors -
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Thanks - glad you liked it! ^.^
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I love this, the last line of the poem was completely unexpected, and stunned me. It also flows very well, and your use of clever rhymes makes it all the more pleasurable to read.
also thanks for you comment on "Back to the Fetus" much appreciated.
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Glad you enjoyed it! =)
It was my pleasure. ^_^
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choppy! ha! in your dreams.. maybe. This is brilliant. Perfectly Brilliant!
The flow is perfect, the story makes sense. It captures your attention from the very beginning... this is the example that poems should exist by!
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Wow...was it really that good?
Thank you for the encouraging comment. ^-^
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Wow! This is like... a metaphor inside a metaphor inside a bottle... LOL.
Okay, it might be confusing for some people... but for my slightly manic mind it's just the right level of intricacy. Complex enough to keep my attention and interest.
I hate to say this, because I don't want you to get offended - but it's sort of like being inside my mind when I was coming out of a psychotic mania (age 18) and medications had wiped my memory out, but I was starting to remember things vaguely. I started to wonder, was it better to just let sleeping dogs... well stay asleep? It was very confusing, and I had no sense of a timeline for events.
Anyway, it's very impressive. I love how you used the various figures as metaphors for yourself at different points in your lfie, and included lovely little details.
Like you, I ache for the days of innocence and climbing. I remember being about four years old, playing at daycare. Playing was life, it was your job at that age, you know? Not fair! LOL.
Anyway, great write. Great entry. I don't see why you apologized for it. I think it's quite perfect.
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Yea...I like metaphors. I'm sure you've picked up on it by now.
I'm glad you could relate to it! And you don't offend me - I'm glad you enjoyed it! ^_^
You're right - it most certainly WAS our job to live life back then.
Thank you for the wonderful comment. Which, by the way, I think is your longest one yet. ^.^
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