The years behind serve to remind
A love like ours can last …
Friendship austere, respects sincere
And sacredness is vast.
No need to clutch with common touch
Or prove what I hold dear,
The sweetest fruit is formed from root
That thrives year after year.
You’ll never know how oft I go
Inside my mind to find,
My world with you is born anew,
Quite young and sure sublime.
The thoughts then rise within my eyes
And what I sense exchanged,
As pensive heart seeks state of art
My love is rearranged.
Our souls entwine like vines through time
Your presence like the sun,
That lights the way - serves to portray
That days flow one by one.
While each bright star shines from afar
Like beams from heaven’s floor,
I feel I’ve found a common ground
And friendship I adore.
© 2009 Joy A. Burki-Watson
Author notes
"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new. Shall I not call God the Beautiful, who daily showeth himself so to me in his gifts? I chide society, I embrace solitude, and yet I am not so ungrateful as not to see the wise, the lovely, and the noble-minded, as from time to time they pass my gate. Who hears me, who understands me, becomes mine, — a possession for all time."
Ralph W. Emerson
A contest entry
- Friendship's Rewards (#1) by BearWoman.
700 points, ended March 19, 10 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
All comments are appreciated / answer in kind!
Comments
1 - 10 of 10
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I love it! A love like ours will last, this is a awsome line. And I do believe that for me and Leo. It was a pleasure to read.
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"While each bright star shines from afar
Like beams from heaven’s floor"
appears to indicate an infinite friendship
unbreakable by time or place but ever-seeking more.
Definitely a piece to reflect upon.
M-C
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Lovely write, structure, and flow
A lovely piece, a quiet reflection from a place of wisdom and appreciation.
The reward of friendship I see being portrayed is: an enduring bond over time and distance that does not require a lot of regular "maintenance" to sustain the depth and connection ("Friendship austere", as in "stern or cold in appearance or manner"). Like a friend you may not speak to for years, and the next time you do the connection is still there as if no time had elapsed. Only the details of your daily goings on are unknown, but you are still known.
"Austere" does have a flavor of "cold" to me, and it has been a stumbling block for me each of the several times I read this poem. Until I looked up the word in the dictionary and decided that in your use it means something like "even though our friendship appears to be austere to others." Being non-demonstrative does not mean there is not depth of feeling and connection. I’m not sure if this is what you were attempting to convey.
This is the kind of piece I have to mull on over and over. I get the meaning behind/within the piece, yet the way it is portrayed leaves the full meaning and impact of the concept somewhat opaque to me. While I understand the sentiment, my response to this piece continues to be primarily in my mind/consciousness, rather than in my heart. (That’s just me, of course.) I want to feel what you feel about this. I’m not sure exactly what to offer you to shift this for me, although I would be willing to look into it more in-depth if you wish. If so, leave a comment here, and I’ll come back and pick it apart with my fine-toothed comb.
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I thank you for your comprehensive comment and actually enjoy what you have shared because it also leaves me mulling over my own thoughts as well. When you mentioned “somewhat opaque” as to the full meaning and impact of the concept of my poem, I was reminded of a verse from the Bible,
Corinthians 13, 12. For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
Perhaps the feeling will come for you as it did for me and perhaps tomorrow I shall think again and realize that sharing of my spiritual world of friendship is not an easy task. I can say that Emerson’s essay on “Friendship” is something that I identified with years ago and still keep finding a broader understanding of it each time that I read it again.
“Our friendships hurry to short and poor conclusions, because we have made them a texture of wine and dreams, instead of the tough fiber of the human heart. The laws of friendship are austere and eternal, of one web with the laws of nature and of morals.” R. W. Emerson
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And I thank you for your thoughtful and insightful reply. "now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." : How apt to poetry.
"Perhaps ... for you ... and perhaps I shall ... realize" : It seems so few people know how to use the "and" word in that context.
"...still keep finding a broader understanding of it each time that I read it again." Ah, yes. Indeed. Probably part of why I keep coming back to read it over and over, attempting to more fully discern its meaning(s). However, I do have a deadline for judging this contest, so I cannot take a lifetime for it. (lol?) (that was a mild yet friendly poke)
RE: The Emerson quotes. For this contest, I chose to read each poem "blind." For me that means not only anonymous, it also means I don't read the author's notes, profile, comments by others, et cetera, until after I get the impact of the piece as if I had just happened across it somewhere, completely anonymously. I was looking somewhat for immediate visceral impact and had not anticipated a deeper spiritual response to my challenge.
The new Emerson quote you provided gives me more insight into your motivation behind this poem. For me, that quote fits better with your poem, and clears up my stumbling over the word "austere." As well, it enlightens me about the view/place from which this poem appears (to me now) to have been written.
Thank you for taking the time to share what you have with me and help me to better understand your piece. I have only been on AP about two weeks. I jumped in with both feet and apparently with no garments on either! When I decided to open a contest, I obviously didn't know fully what I was getting myself into.
Thank you for helping me more fully understand my role as Contest Judge.
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A beautifully-fashioned poem and a persuasive definition of true friendship and affection. A pleasure to read.
Best wishes,
Bill
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Appropriate title. Outstanding "no need to clutch with common touch/or prove what I hold dear." Excellent "the sweetest fruit is formed from root that thrives year after year." Warming imagery "souls entwine like vines." Interesting "beams from heaven's floor".
Loved the first stanza in particular! A linkage of minds and souls that sweetens and deepens over the years.
Lovely write about friendship!
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I don't have many old friends. They always seem to come and go. I have one who has been my friend for over 7 years, I do cherish that friendship. I do cherish the newer ones too and hope they stand the test of time...and like Emerson, I tend to embrace solitude and chide society (as far as possible.) and yes, I too can appreciate my friends.
Yes, the internal rhyme is good, and I am sure difficult!
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"No need to clutch with common touch
Or prove what I hold dear,
The sweetest fruit is formed from root
That thrives year after year"
I am particularly drawn to this verse. A strong root system allows the openness of heart and soul with another knowing we are safe, accepted as we are for who we are.
True friends are indeed a blessing and something to be thankful for. I'm fortunate to have a few lifelong friends, initially bonded while coming of age and still standing by each other's sides though separated by miles now. When we do get together via phone, internet or in person, we just pick up where we left off as though we had never been apart.
This is a beautiful tribute to friendship Joy and the Emerson quote is perfect.
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Yet one more wonderful flowing poem from the pen of one i have come to admire so much I love the internal rhyme it add a little more melody to an excellent piece Good Luck in the contest
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