.

Fields of Grass

In youth I ran through fields of grass,
Convinced that I could fly,
And endless were the days to pass
Seen through my guileless eye.
Childish thoughts and childish games,
The fun went on and on and on,
And all my friends and all their names
And so much more is gone… is gone.

With each new day, a new endeavor,
Chasing dreams with help from Nike.
Feeling I could live forever,
Written in my blessed psyche.
Never a thought to getting older,
Never a fear of what’s ahead,
Never the chill of winters colder,
Never conceived of being dead.

But aging is so bittersweet,
A humbling, long… drawn-out affair.
The grass now grows beneath my feet
And weeds get tangled in my hair.
My often horizontal stance,
So effortless to stop… to stop,
Has lost my feet the will to dance,
My easy chair, an easy flop!

In youth I ran through fields of grass,
Gravity easy to defy,
But now I sit upon my ass,
Dreaming I once could fly.

.

.

Like Flowers

Time has passed me; where was I
As it so softly trickled by.
How did I not the signals see
Of what would soon become of me,
Reflected now before my eyes,
Someone I hardly recognise.

A face that now no longer hides,
The cruel assault from ebbing tides.
The eyes that smile cannot begin
To hide the sadness deep within,
Or wash away the dull regret
Of some intangible vignette.

Time has passed me, gone too soon
From summer’s sun to winter’s gloom.
Like fallen petals, limp with grime
That once were brilliant for a time,
Their faded beauty now austere,
But they at least return next year.

Then again, perhaps like me,
They’re unaware of what might be,
They’ve lost their bloom like bitter wine,
Their days have come and gone, as mine,
And they know not of what’s to come
Upon the heels of death’s sad drum.

But with the season of new birth,
When life invades the frozen earth,
Who knows, now tell, who really knows,
Who comes and stays, who comes and goes,
And who can say what, why or when,
Perhaps like flowers I’ll bloom again…

But time has passed me.

.

.

Norma Pain was born in Liverpool, England and now lives in Parksville, British Columbia, Canada. Thirty of Norma’s poems were published by Dana Literary Society, between 2004 and 2007 and she was twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize by that same on-line poetry site. She self-published a book of rhyme in 2000 called Bulging Assets.

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14 Responses

  1. Jeff Eardley

    Norma, two gems from you that pretty much sum up our National mood at the moment and for we oldies a reminder our diminishing allotment. Was life better before Covid, or before the Internet came along? You bet it was. I love “psyche” and “Nike” and the hint of optimism at the end of “Like Flowers”
    Up there with your best Norma. (Only a small point, should there be “that” between “Dreaming” and “I” at the end of “Fields of Grass?” ) Thank you for a reflective read today.

    Reply
    • Norma Pain

      Thank you so much for your kind words Jeff. I am not sure about the addition of the word “that”. I don’t really like the word and it would throw off my metrical rhyming pattern which I love use as much as I possibly can, whether this be a good thing or not.
      Happy New Year to you.

      Reply
  2. Peter Hartley

    Norma – Well, it afflicts us all if we are lucky or unlucky enough, as the case may be. These poems both sound much better in a Liverpudlian accent even at the risk of making some words unintelligible. “Fields of grahss” just doesn’t cut the mustard for me. I like the abrupt finish to the second poem, leaving out the expected “by,” just as death is the abrupt conclusion to old age; and, as you describe old age, both poems are bittersweet. I enjoyed reading these.

    Reply
    • Norma Pain

      Thank you for your comments Peter. I am so happy that you enjoyed them.
      Best wishes to you for the New Year.

      Reply
  3. Allegra Silberstein

    Norma, I love that you thought you could fly when you ran through the grass…it was the same for me so many years ago. Your poems speak to the heart.

    Reply
    • Norma Pain

      Allegra, I was so happy to hear that you also remember the feeling of being able to run until you could almost fly… oh what a feeling!! Thank you for your lovely comments and may we both take flight in our dreams.

      Reply
    • Norma Pain

      Thank you Paul… I am definitely flying high with the lovely comments from fellow writers such as yourself.
      Best wishes for 2022.

      Reply
  5. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Norma, your rhyme, rhythm, rapture and attention to the subjects in life that matter have swept me up in their wonder. I love your passion!

    Reply
  6. C.B. Anderson

    You’ve taken me down lost avenues, Norma, for which I thank you. You are a talent unto yourself, a special voice that coaxes the attention of the weary and the bored to focus on the essentials.

    Reply
    • Norma Pain

      Thank you so much C.B. Your very complimentary words mean a great deal to me.
      All the best for the New Year.

      Reply
  7. David Watt

    Norma, I really enjoyed your reflective poems. There are many wonderful turns of phrase to admire, including “Time has passed me, gone too soon
    From summer’s sun to winter’s gloom. I look forward to more expressions of life.

    Reply
    • Norma Pain

      Thank you so much David. I am so glad you enjoyed my poems.
      Happy New Year.

      Reply

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