Routine Heartbreak by Ina Mar (2009)
Reason to Believe
When I look into your eyes and see love’s gentle grace, I don’t
want to believe your eyes deceive; they do, and I don’t.
As your snug embrace holds me, feeling safe and enraptured,
I want to believe it’s love, not just convenience, but I don’t.
When we talk about us growing old together,
I want to believe I see it, but I don’t.
As we walk the pier, hand in hand, basking in the sunset,
I want to believe it’s as special for you as it is for me, but I don’t.
When your parents say they’ve never seen you happier,
I want to believe it’s more than just their relief at respite from you, but I don’t.
When you say those mean things and tell ever-changing lies,
I want to believe that one day you will stop and become kind again, but I don’t.
Aching-li I see-sawed between resisting your agenda and bending to it for years,
wanting to believe there would be a sign seen so I’d want to stay, but I don’t.
Gay Reiser Cannon is the host of dVerse for 30-days of writing Ghazal form poetry. Gay says:
Enough of the talking let’s do some walking.
-
- Write a Ghazal of at least five couplets inspired by either John Hollander or Natasha Clews. You are welcome to link up an old ghazal that you feel fits the prompt or you can take a favorite free verse poem and rewrite it as a ghazal.
- Post it on your blog.
- Click the Mr. Linky button below, and in the new window that opens up, input your name and direct URL of the poem.
- Comment as usual and if you would like to receive constructive feedback on your poem please indicate that in your comments. Please note that if you asked for constructive feedback be prepared to give constructive feedback as well
- If you would like to edit and improve your poem please update a new link in Mr Linky so it shows.
- As Mr. Linky is open for 1 month, please come back and read, comment on later entries.
- And just have fun!
Tao Talk 
great job, that’s a tough form
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Thanks M. It was tough in more ways than one :(
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Is that your voice in the video Li?
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Yes. What did you think?
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A wonderful poem!
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Thank you, Sadje. It was a tough one to write.
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You write great poetry too, in addition to fiction.
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Thanks Sadje, for your ongoing support. It is very much appreciated <3
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You’re most welcome Li
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Very nice.
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Thank you, Jim, it was a very tough poem to write and even tougher to recite, but that’s what this particular form calls for, ideally.
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Nicely done and very well recited, Li. ❤️
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Thank you very much, Punam <3
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You are welcome. 🙂
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I had to look up “ghazal”.
I’ve never heard of this kind of poem before! Surely I must have come across it, being an English major in school, but when I *discover* these kinds of things related to my major *for the first time*, it seems, I wonder just how close attention I was or was NOT paying while in school !!! :)
Very difficult form, and nicely done. But also a very sad, and sadly familiar, topic…..
PS: I thought I was following you a long time ago. But I wasn’t. I’m so incompetent with blogging and computers in general, it’s actually amazing that I’m employed and use a computer for my sole source of income !!! :)
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Thank you so much for reading and commenting. I didn’t know of the form until a few months ago. It is a tough one as the expectation is for one to “spill their guts” for it, which I’m not real crazy about doing. Maybe you were following me but WP does weird things, so please don’t blame yourself. I’m glad you’re savvy enough with computers to use them as sole source of income :)
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Well, the computer’s at work, not at home, so we get a lot of assistance when things go wrong, lol !!!
“Spill your guts”, huh? It’s kind of like a poetic EST session. So not only the form is difficult, but the letting go of inhibitions enough to be honest or at least approach honesty would be very difficult too.
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lol I LOVE how you describe it, as it is spot-on.
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I loved reading this and also listening to your lovely voice speak it. That refrain works very well, and I love the way you worked your name into the final couplet.
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Rosemary, your kind and thoughtful words are appreciated. Thank you!
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Very nice Ghazal! your descriptions of hopes versus reality is very strong. I thought this form was kind of tough. But you did a great job.
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Thank you for your feedback and kind words, they are very much appreciated.
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Oh so rich, so real, and so satisfying. This is a great example of what this form allows you to do. It fulfills all the requirements of the form and yet it’s modern, true, and a bit edgy. I like it a lot! Well done.
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Thank you, Gay. Glad it meets the format requirements, and it has a lot more oomph than the other one. I appreciate your insights.
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Of course the title made me think of Tim Hardin. It’s so hard to admit the truth when we need to believe the lies. (K)
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Yes. I first heard Glen Campbell sing that song. I don’t know much about Tim himself, except I just looked him up and see he passed on at age 39. Kerfe, you understand and I’m glad.
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Glen is a treasure too.
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This is wonderful 🙂 I loved hearing you speak to Lisa.
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Thank you, Christine :)
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I love the refrain and the way your expressed that contradiction of wanting to believe yet, not. Well done with the form.
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Thank you for your kind words and feedback, Grace :)
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A powerful thought provoking poem Jade. I love the reading as well.
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Thank you very much, Linda. It was a tough one.
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I write another one and included a spoken word clip. Would love your opinion!
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Just read and listened. I love the poem, and with you reading it it makes it that much more precious. I love the questions.
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Thank you so much for the kind feedback!
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You are very welcome.
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The subject works very well with the form, each couplet is a painful island but all together they form an archipelago of loss.
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Anna, I very much appreciate your comment. Thank you for reading and commenting.
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Oh, we want so badly to believe the lies…but we don’t. A heart-breaker of a ghazal…you wrote/spoke the pain and hopefully it’s healing, Jade (or is it Li?).
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Yes, Lynn, we do, and every time the wound gets picked at it hurts a little less. Yes, it is Li (short for Lisa), the Jade is an attribute of mine ;)
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Nice to know you, Lisa…I might forget and call you Jade :)
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No worries. Lynn is your name I’m assuming, but just checking to be sure.
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Yes, it’s Lynn :)
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This is excellent (and so very sad). sometimes things just have to end…
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Thank you, Bjorn, and yes.
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