I still recall that December night,
down by the pier: your body pressed;
a weight against my boyish chest.
Harbor waves were pounding granite piers
your leg a nestling
seeking warmth between my legs.
We must have talked, but memory has vaned;
it’s just your laughter in the face of wind
that comes to mind; as today
we huddle silently apart,
our backs against the freezing breeze.
Tomorrow wind will rip, again,
It will fill our voids with snow
freeze the gap between these hands
that ceased to touch.
Wind clouds by J. E. H. MacDonald
This is written in response to Margret’s prompt on toads on passed prompts, and I have combined two, Kerry’s on Ingrid Jonker, and my own on using past, present and future tenses in the same poem. I will also link the poem to Poetry Pantry tomorrow.
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Love, in its youth, is so much more free to experience
Brr! *wraps arms around self*
Some memories last forever. And sometimes it is not the talk that is important….but the laughter, that is another matter. And when the wind rips, these memories once again come to mind. I like this poem, Bjorn.
I love that you or your protagonist remembers her laughter!
Yes, a cold wind indeed, but very vivid, Bjorn. Thanks. k.
Beautiful moment but with a tinge of wistfulness.
This is wonderful but sad. How beautiful to remember love in its youth, but then to witness it, frigid and distant is just sad.
A poignant poem! (And, ha! I too was inspired both by your time prompt and Kerry’s on Ingrid Jonker.)
This is beautiful. I’ll read it several more times, I’m sure.
wonderful imagery. It took me back to my youth and love.
Oh, so sad….but always hopeful because voices can speak, and hands can reach out. I really felt this poem, Bjorn.
Took me back, I think many of us have been in this scenario Bjorn. Beautifully captured.
Beautiful … Just love the last two lines.
The joy of discovery. The sadness of loss.
Hands which no longer touch…perhaps like time, weather and storms this is a stage of life that we must face..sadly..and yet perhaps there is warmth in memory..better to have faced the wind with love and another by our side..
succinctly and precisely captures the changing temperature of love – youth’s ‘laughter in the face of wind’ vs ‘backs against the freezing breeze’
What a stunningly beautiful poem of love and loss.
how contrasting it is, the past and the present. loved the vivid imagery.
Such a gorgeous poem of young love 🙂
we huddle silently apart,
our backs against the freezing breeze.
Some moments may not be what the heart desires. Relationships have their ups and downs! Rightly expressed Bjorn!
Hank
The sadness comes through. The warmth of familiar embrace is just out of reach… and if only both could conjure the same memory at once.
Past, present and future meet in this melancholic poem of love and loss ~ beautifully done, Bjorn.
A lovely metaphor of loves embrace to keep out winter’s cold and what happens when love fades ……melancholy thoughts today.
this is sad and bittersweet
thanks for dropping in at my Sunday Lime
much love…
You have captured the essence of what brings a couple together, and how that may fade over time. This is bitter-sweet, and all too human, in its emotive depth.
Hi Bjorn, thanks for the entertainment today. 🙂
authentic – you’ve captured a moment right here.
Ah, and another love drifts away with fallen snow…sad yet touching…
Touching when hands don’t…I liked it very much!
Real winter poem, but in the line “freeze the gap between these hands” I see the solution and hope…..reach
Love the emotion in this. It’s interesting how vividly we can remember certain past memories. Lovely writing, Bjorn 🙂
So sad that people create a space between them in which snow can gather – pull together closer and shield each other against the storm. Very poignant poem for today.
Oh, that growing apart is well captured here, the regret of it, the cold space.
The flow of time is so well woven into your poem. Beautiful,
Elizabeth
http://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/
You capture the melancholy of a past fading memory. I like how you’ve incorporated all these tenses in one poem while painting a sad picture of a gone romance.
Awwww.
I said ‘Nooooooo!’ out loud at this. So sad. You’ve made me pout. Hope the memory still resides somewhere to warm ya up.
Sad but still lovely, Bjorn. This is a perfect description of a couple who’ve grown apart but still stay together. Your description is what makes it lovely. — Suzanne
Beautifully written memory of a long ago touch.
The contrast you build in this is felt on so many levels. Written powerfully, Bjorn.
Sensual, tender and sadly wistful. A lovely piece.
I love the painting and the lovely, sad poem that seem to go with its stark beauty.