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| city cemetery, Lynchburg, VA |
'I saw you today
on the side of the road.'
'yeah, where's that?'
'On the highway.
I almost stopped'
'ha. i saw him too,
heading into town,
and you...?'
'yeah,
he kinda walks like you
& has the satchel bag.'
is how it started & everyday
i get updates as she sees me
& i see me
walking in dead grass
just off the road, no matter the weather
always heading somewhere & never
getting there, until after i pass
'You had a new coat today.'
'yeah, i noticed,'
we laugh
'so, why didn't you stop
if you thought it was me?'
'Well, what if it wasn't?'
one day, i'll pull the car over
just to ask myself where i am going
& once i get there, if it's worth it,
how we, how i got to this, is he
an older me or younger, and if so what
will i still learn or have i forgot
maybe i'll
invite myself to walk a mile (or two),
as the cars whizz by
each gravel crunching step
birdsong, birdsong, shiver with the wind, tick
to the tock of raindrops,
smell the morning
& remember
written for Poetry Jam, and i seriously need to check out my other, just to make sure it's not me. Smiles.
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79 comments:
I love smell the morning and the lines - always heading somewhere & never, getting there - is just magical. You always make me think, and that is a gift. Great poem and feeling
So many questions and answers to seek, not sure I could remember them all.
invite myself to walk a mile (or two),as the cars whizz by
each gravel crunching step
birdsong, birdsong, shiver with the wind, tick to the tock of raindrops,
smell the morning
& remember...
Hi! Brian...
Thanks, for sharing the photo Of the city cemetery,in Lynchburg, VA...As you, ponder [through your poem] what it maybe like to walk in someone else shoes? and what appears to be a conversation between someone you may know too?
...and your future? Too many questions?
deedee :-/
Wonderful poem, Brian-- great disconnects for the reader which you then explain. Very cool. K.
I do believe he is neither the older or younger you but the you in the moment. The one moving past is the you of yesterday and tomorrow. And the funny thing is if you did stop you would only recognize the parts of you that are already.
"walking in dead grass
just off the road, no matter the weather
always heading somewhere & never
getting there, until after i pass" I like this verse. It makes me think how disconnected we've become, as humans.
Ah, I enjoyed this, Brian...very interesting to see someone who sort of looks like you every day, heading somewhere. I have never had that experience, would find it quite eerie, but I definitely would slow down, stop, and get a closer look!
...how intriguing Brian... and cool to just see yourself amongst the ghosts of so many yestetdays... and the same ghost that will haunt in many coming years... and how wonderful to think that even if we're already in the now of our life we still look back to those days of yore tracing every root, that part of you that continuesly connects us to history we etched... love the very contemplative mood in your poem today Brian.... and i forgot to greet you & your dear a Happy Anniversary... smiles...
Kind of surreal today. Let me know what you say when you stop to say hello to yourself.
It's interesting to just reflect for a second and ask oneself. Understanding oneself is a rare bit but it may turn out to be a discovery, an education in fact. Nicely Brian!
Hank
loved how you tied it up with those last few lines...
Cool poem my love. Lots to follow but I love how you wrapped it up at the end. Such a light and peaceful last stanza. I'm sure your walk everyday makes for amusing conversation with those that pass you by. Imagine if....
Looking in a mirror
As things become clearer
Or maybe just eerie
As the guy you see
Resembles thee
Passing a tree
A trip not taken
Sure gets the mind bakin
this gives one cause for pause, makes me think,
If I let my imagination run wild .. I see you walking in the cemetery overhearing snippets of morning conversations between the spirits who are rousing themselves for the day ahead ... one of your finest.
this morning at breakfast my son asked me what I think when I see myself on video.
This one took me a second to see where it was going...I'm still not 100% sure. I think it was you seeing a past version of yourself? Maybe? To be honest, that's why I love your poetry...it's like art in that there are so many different ways to interpret it.
This twisted up my brain! What a cool piece, Brian!
I've seen people in passing and have wanted to call out to them, but the thought it might not be them has stopped me from doing it.
you and Mary both with your reflections on your lives, this is such a lesson for us all
This reminds me of the SyFi stories where two dimensions collide briefly and we can get a peek at the other world that is just outside our senses.
This is brilliant. Some of the best poetry I've read recently, with a fresh feel, a bouncy step, and a wonderful idea to ponder! Thanks for sharing.
Iliad Keys
Spooky to speak with ghosts... I feel that way around graveyards... eerie.
fantastic read....and the last lines and the lines -- walking in dead grass -- are beautiful. I wish you get time for your painting skills too..... you paint beautiful picture with your words.... :-)
WOW is the word that pops out... u r amazing brian :)
Beautiful poem with a few drops of existentialism.
Ha. It must be a little eerie to see your double. Still, I'm 100% certain there's only one you.
Great write, Brian....You are talented! I have to agree with one of your followers..."you paint beautiful pictures with your words".
I read you had an anniversary....Happy Anniversary to you and Mrs. Miller..
i love this one, b. thoughtful & yet light. and somehow a little bit whitman-esque, too.
I like the idea of meeting yourself, younger or older, to see what we will still learn or have forgotten ~
Ticking and tocking of raindrops, same as our winter morning ~
Happy day to you ~
I really enjoyed the last few lines, so evocative...for all the senses.
I like this one a lot. The funny moments of life.
BTW Jane read your comment and she was so proud of herself :).
one day, i'll pull the car over
just to ask myself where i am going
& once i get there, if it's worth it...the big questions in life..would be cool to have maybe an older me to talk such things through...and hey.. if i ever meet your other you and i'm not sure if it's you, i'll just ask him to write a poem..i will know within seconds then..smiles
Such a wonderful thought...meeting our own self....cool.
How amazing would that be to check out your other? Wonder if he would see the likeness? Would be pretty cool if you were strolling parallel dimensions in lots of ways in life!
Writing to the illogical allows us to meet all kinds of other selves! I'd probably drive right on by, coward that I am.
Great poem: reminds me of the scene in Barfly
Detective: Who are you?
Chinaski: Ah, who am I? The eternal question. The eternal answer: I don't know.
Thanks bro
This is mystical ... I loved the sense of mystery in the poem !!!
Refreshing!
Love this brian--the doppelganger--we're all supposed to have one. When I first moved to this state, I was constantly being told I had a double, and being mistaken for her, but never met her--it's an eerie feeling you capture well here, with some fine writing just singing in the ending lines.
This played like a movie in my head. I am struck by the 'always heading somewhere, and never getting there' theme. It is almost tragic, poignant and thought-provoking.
To me, this is one of your most picturesque and vivid poems..
Yes, Brian, this is haunting but also funny-eerie and definitely invites the lyrical end flow. Reminds me of watching myself in endless dark windows on a grey day as I walk along a deserted street years ago in Worcester, MA. I'd like to walk with one of my past selves one day and ask some pointed questions--but not soon.
What a great close/coda to this writing, Mr Miller!
Ya know, at very old age (not ME!) we remember our Yoot with clarity, so much for wondering. It is ONE minute ago, the real me, who has forgotten to wear shoes while climbing on his motor scooter. (now WHY did I come back into the house? WHAT? SHOES? Oh, yessss!)
I love looking out for lookalikes so I can dig this poem Brian. It's a great question-what would you say to your doppelganger or an older or younger self for that matter :)
You have a doppelganger too? One day I saw my dh's doppelganger kiss a woman. I was five feet away before I managed to notice he didn't have beard where my dh had a goatee.
well, they say everyone has a twin. But isn't your in Ohio? ha.
Interesting perspective it seems. :)
This had me completely pulled in and that last line held such strong imagery.
I've been looking for my dead son in every face that fits his physique, his stride. I know it can't be him, but I want so much to see that resemblance.
love the concept of your poem,
the idea of actually seeing your
physical self nad having the oppty.
to speak to him.
walking in dead grass really
adds a haunting element.
i try not to turn
as i hear the rumble
of life speeding
down the road
sending gravel my direction
as i turn my head to hide
the tears.
Oh my! This is brilliant.It is almost impossible to represent that internalised thought process.
You have and brilliantly.I know this sounds like a line..But I really do love your mind:)
Cressida
I love this Brian!
These lines snapped and sizzled for me.
walking in dead grass
just off the road, no matter the weather
always heading somewhere & never
getting there, until after i pass
Just don't let that doppple gang up on you B
ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
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Walking side by side with yourself...what an interesting concept :-)
really cool ending here. Love the idea of meeting another version of yourself, would you walk with yourself, very interesting indeed, I wonder what I would say? Nicely done Brian
Lovely idea... Do you have a doppelganger, Brian?
I was baffled by this, Brian, until I read it again. It reminded me of the old saying: 'I met myself coming back'.
What an amazing piece...took me in a whole other direction!
Of shuffling feet; traveling nowhere; looking for a way out; trying to find shelter for the night!
I thought it was sad!
Hugs
SueAnn
Seeing strangers not so much stangers as another aspect of ourselves, of humanity, whatever you write you always soothe me...mere thanks never seem enough
Dear Brian, you beat me to it and stoped by my place before I had the chance to visit you, dear friend.;)
Loved your comment today.;)
As for this post, it reminded me of my own commute to work - every morning I see the same woman walking on the side of the road. And she resembles me actually, spooky, but true.;)
I see her at exactly the same spot as well and I often wonder whether she looks at cars and realizes the same cars (well, at least one) are passing her by.;)
Have a wonderful day, mine is half way gone.;)
xoxo
I knew I was going to love this when I had just read the title. As always here, it didn't disappoint. Cool!
Your talent overwhelms me.
Poetry Jam material I am not.
wonderful poem - full of pathos and humor - and your doppelganger! loved the last few lines especially. K
Surreal. But haunting.
Love the conversational flow of this and the gravel crunch step:-)
He is with you already; no need to pick him up because he is riding in your spirit.
Great piece! Makes me pause to consider the past, the present and the future of oneself.
What a post to come back to.
I don't know how it would be to meet ME. What if I don't much fancy seeing me and wondering, Really? Me?
Now this thought of meeting me will see me through the night and my dreams.
Hope you've been well and so are the boys and T. How's the Lent coming on?
Joy always,
Susan
Love this idea. Two yous around at the same time. Did a couple of your worlds collide?
Great concept here, and well executed. Held me till the last line.
I don't know if it would be a good thing or a bad thing to meet up with myself.
How interesting, mysterious and surreal. I think you should stop and give him a ride and have a nice chat. Love the early morning smells and the journey through time this takes me on.
This is impressive, you have some real talent. The words create a real atmosphere I can't quite explain it but its definitly their. Definitly worth a follow.
Any chance you can check my blog out when you get a chance, many thanks.
one day, i'll pull the car over
just to ask myself where i am going
& once i get there, if it's worth it,
how we, how i got to this, is he
an older me or younger, and if so what
will i still learn or have i forgot
maybe i'll
invite myself to walk a mile (or two)....a cool write..I read it twice and interpreted it differently both times. A younger you..an older you..walking in their shoes..thought provoking, Brian :)
this is why your one of the best writers worldwide, love your work and am sorry I cant come as often as I want to, but still keep my hand in to read this awsome stuff.
oh yes, please, make a stop to talk to yourself....and blog about it. I can't wait to hear from it
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