The First Time

Posted on September 2, 2022 by

24 Comments

Image by James Chan from Pixabay

“The older I get, the more I see there are these crevices in life where things fall in and you just can’t reach them to pull them back out. So you can sit next to them and weep or you can get up and move forward. You have to stop worrying about who’s not here and start worrying about who is.” 
― Alex Witchel, The Spare Wife

Long shadows fall across this face
hiding the march of time
the scars I’ve bore,
deep wrinkles now more
no longer of any concern

I took a gamble on you
and I did not lose
for you see me for what I am
inside still a red haired girl, outside silver curls
you brush away from my failing eyes
Yet in my ghost memories, I still see
the lonely way you looked at me
so long ago that very first time.

©2022 Linda Lee Lyberg

Written for Shay’s Word Garden

Author’s Note: Dedicated to my sweet husband Pete. On September 28th, we will be celebrating 26 years together!

dVerse Poets Pub: Open Link Night

Category: PoetryTags: , ,

24 Comments on “The First Time”

  1. 26 years of a love story. That is something to be celebrated. I love that he still sees the red haired girl inside – and brushes your silver locks from your face so tenderly. Sigh. Love that remembered lonely look when you met. Not lonely since!

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  2. Linda, this is just gorgeous. So simply stated, so full of heart and acknowledged pain and also the good that arrives when we least expect it. I especially love the sequence about the red/gray hair and the ending.

    Also, wat a wonderful song you added! I have that song–in fact, that whole album–on my iPod. You two are the big door prize, yeah? (and Jackson, can’t forget Jackson!)

    Thanks for linking this marvelous poem to my list thing. I’m so glad i got to read it.

    –Shay

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  3. Oh my goodness, Linda … you have brought forth so much emotion in me this morning. What a beautiful poem. Memories come flooding back all thanks to you.

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