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Sunday, March 25, 2012

Joy and the Magic Man



Over the years, Joy’s name
Seemed to fit her less and less,
Her spirit eroded by
A river of responsibilities,
Once supple skin scarred
By the acid touch of time,
Myopia pushing aside
The artistic visions of her youth.
She almost did not recognize him,
Black hair lightened into gray,
His slower steps assisted
By a cane that mirrored her own,
Nothing to gauge that he even saw her,
Much less remembered
The time when she was “his Joy,”
Back before she had developed
Any acumen at the craft of love.

He had been her Magic Man,
An alchemist whose tender touch
Turned her tears to drops of gold.
He sprinkled her life with wonder,
A belief that life was larger
Than she ever dreamed possible.
He taught her how to embrace freedom
In a sensuous dance of hearts
Uninterrupted by the outside world,
Two artists in love feeding
On the creative juices of the other,
Stoking a fire that overtook them,
Consuming and eventually leaving
Only smoldering embers discarded
In search of the next inspiration.

She set aside her brush
And oil paints long ago,
Arthritic hands and withered dreams
Unable to give shape to her visions,
But as she sweeps past him
On that cold January sidewalk
In her sensible shoes and sturdy coat,
Shadows of Joy and the Magic Man
Float in the fog of yesterday.

20 comments:

daphnepurpus said...

Very poignant!

Willow said...

What a beautiful, wonderful poetic story from a few wordl words. Well done.

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

Oh, I hope that Joy stops and greets her Magic Man with awe and wonder once again!

Whirling Haiku

margo said...

I love the story, Mary. I was so caught up, I forgot the wordle.

Mary said...

I think the name Joy would be a hard one to own! So much to live up to, and perhaps disappointment in oneself when one was not able to be joy-filled. Your wordle took a different turn than any of the others. I enjoyed the story and its uniqueness.

Daydreamertoo said...

Awww...sometimes time is not kind to our minds or memories of 'what was once upon a time' at all.
Lovely write!

Kerry O'Connor said...

What a wonderful interpretation of the picture. You captured the faded joys of a life grown old.

Laurie Kolp said...

Such a sad reflection expressed beautifully... one of my favorites for sure!

kaykuala said...

Joy and the Magic Man, a spent force but growing old with dignity. Lots of wonderful memories colored their life.

Hank

Scarlet said...

You have captured the picture very well....I like the initial excitement at first, then the nostalgia and sadness..and indeed perhaps they are still dancing in the shadows ~

Fine writing ~

RD Stokes said...

That's a great story - well written, not easy to brush aside.

sara McNulty said...

Mary, this is excellent. The combination of prompts is seamless and lovely.

Jules said...

This reminds me of a book I read where to artistic souls shared some precious moments, but then reality parted them. But they each continued to pursue their passions, though the gal did so, so secretly that her family didn't know until she died and were gifted the key to her secret studio. Very enjoyable wordle.

hedgewitch said...

You wrote the picture to a tee. As someone having that name all I can say is, I'm just glad my mother didn't decide on Grace--I could *never* have lived up to that one.

Ella said...

I so enjoyed this beautiful sentiment of their lives~ Time does erode our gifts and heighten them!
Hope they find their magic, again ;D

Semaphore said...

A good counterpoint to the picture, where the spirit of youth lives on in the heart, despite the weight of years.

Margaret said...

You painted that photo with the perfect words. A wonderful take, a wonderful "tale".

Mystic_Mom said...

Shiver - this is so wonderfully crafted. What an amazing poem. I'm in love!

Anonymous said...

nice story telling.

mine post is also, Joy, but very different concept

Joy Garrison Programs: Command Highlight

EJ said...

I love this!