L r

[hillwalker]

L R

However did we cope back then?

No Facebook eulogies
from everyone she knew
and sundry hangers-on;
under a masquerade of heartache,
bleak reality and cyber-grief entwined.

No Lady Di memorial
of cheap bouquets and teddy-bears
and laminated calling cards
left out on life’s hard shoulder
for the world of freaks and rubber-necks
to scrutinise.

No traces but her memory.

Her woman shape barely begun;
her haunches slim as some gazelle,
her latent breasts,
and hairless skin like café crème;
or should we call it latte now?

Those living pearls of darkest brown
through which she watched her life unfold,
and showed me heaven
bit by bit…..
then silently erased
almost as soon as she was thought of…..

H

[PrinceMyshkin]

I had trouble making sense of the title, other than the possibility that it referred to left and right, nor did I eke out a solution from the poem but the poem is, as ever, so seemingly effortless in its flow and its wonderful evocation of the now absent woman - Lady Di, I assume? Bravo!

[Skia]

I heard that Lady Di was a fair Lady, We did not learn of her much at High School, neither at college... From your poem I gather she was something special.

And I thought the title was Left and Right also... But Lady Di is more obvious. :P

[hillwalker]

Sorry guys - this isn't about Lady Di.....

The title refers to the initials of a particular girlfriend who died quite a few years ago - when there was none of the public demonstration of grief that now seems to be all the rage (begun perhaps following Lady Di's death).
She was still a teenager, and nowadays would probably have had 20,000 messages left on her Facebook page - but of course in them days we didn't even have computers.... hence the opening line.

H

[Skia]

Oh so the girlfriend must have been something,

Now as I understand Hill I think it's fantastic! I should have picked up on this! (Facebook freak here! :) )

What does LR portray then Hill if not Lady Di?

[hillwalker]

Just her name, Skia. Linda Robinson.

H

[Skia]

aw. Well I'd be honoured. I'm sure she is Hill. :)

[OctopusGarden]

The words flowed together beautifully. I had trouble understanding exactly what was going on, but your explanation fixed that. I like how personal it is, it seems to have came straight from the heart.

[Haunted]

This poignant personal remembrance of her is a sharp contrast to the frivolousness of Facebook and the 20,000 friends who would offer condolences to someone they don't know. This is so much more special and sincere.

[Jerrybaldy]

too late to say , but I saw it as a tribute to a love lost young. Cheers to you and Linda Robinson, I would like to think that I would have enough effect on somebody to inspire to write years later and Linda would of course be equally pleased.
best wishes
jerry

[hillwalker]

Thanks everyone - it's not often I post something as directly personal and I appreciate your kind comments.

H

[Jerrybaldy]

I posted on the content not the execution. You have me thinking...

[dafydd manton]

Beautiful, Hill. Absolutely beautiful - and you say that my work can pull at heart-strings. Not like this it can't. Hardly know you, don't know her, but it moved me to tears. Thanks for one of your best ever poems.

Daf

[hillwalker]

Thanks daf - she was a special one (first love and all that, you get the picture). I can't say it was my best but probably meant most when I wrote it.

[MANICHAEAN]

It was one of your best.

Invariably with your work, you have to get behind the first reading.

You could sense how close this was from the heart.

It brought to mind something I read recently:

"Is it possible that words, mere words, can work such miracles? Or are they not words at all but chalices and Holy Grails, of human passion, full of the life-blood, staining the lips that approach them scarlet."

Much obliged H.

[hillwalker]

Thanks Manichean - I'm pleased you persevered as always with more than one reading.

H