POEMS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY

By Debbie Bulloch



If you have been following these pages, you know that I love to write. Writing affords me an opportunity to give flight to my imagination, letting my feelings soar on wings of words. I write when I am happy, I write when I am sad, I write when I need to fill the emptiness that we all feel from time to time.

A while ago I wrote a poem called “Dream Lover.” I wrote at a time when I was feeling very blue. On a lark, I submitted the poem to a writing group to which I belong. To my surprise my poem was chosen to be read at a gathering of writers. I was present at the reading (actually I was hiding in the crowd) and was overcome with joy to hear my words spoken out in public; I was elated when I heard the crowd’s applause.

That was almost a year ago and I had pretty much forgotten about the poem. Then this morning I received the following IM:

Jaz Flossberg: Debbie, The Breakers Coffee Shop Arts Series presented "Love Poems" last night. Many of the poems were from people in SL. Your poem "Dream Lover" was read among the 14 poems selected. I want to thank you for having written the poem. It was very well received and helped make our presentation a success. Thank you.

There was my poem, once again, being read in public. I never imagined that words that I wrote in private would ever be read out loud in public; I never dreamed that people would actually enjoy my writing.

Here then is “Dream Lover.”

Dream Lover

Between the darkness and the light,
There lies a land
Of warm shadows and soft whispers.
Where tears and hurt are unwelcomed guests
And lovers are free to dream.

I hold my lover in my arms
And I look into his eyes.
Eyes like a cool spring lake.
In his blue eyes I see reflections of a life I once knew,
When I was my lover’s cherished one.

I hold him tighter in my arms,
And in his embrace I live again.
Softly, he whispers that he loves me and I fall to my knees
Drinking deeply from his sweet honey
Till there is none left for me to drink.

My lover sighs
And his sighs are like a lullaby I heard long ago.
Like a child, I close my eyes,
Daring to dream again,
Hoping to be taken back to a world I once knew.

In the distance, a songbird calls out to his mate
Slowly, I open my eyes
And my lover is gone.
Nothing left for me to hold,
But the cold and empty air.

Through the prism of a single, solitary tear
I see a freshly cut red rose on the pillow next to me.
And then I know
That when this mortal day is done,
My dreams will once again take me back to the one I love.

02.14.20008

Copyright © 2008 DB. All rights fully reserved.


“Dream lover” was written during a very dark period of my life when I was feeling blue and sad...and very lonesome.

Fortunately, I eventually came out from under the clouds that had kept me in the dark. When I finally came out from the dark, there was a bright, warm glowing ember pointing the way out. The following poem was inspired by that glowing ember.

Untitled

In the cold hour before dawn
When the songbird calls out to its mate
In the frantic rush of lovers
Reaching out for one another
In the moments of stillness
When words are silently spoken.

I feel you standing next to me
The glow of your eyes
Beating back the darkness around me
Filling my empty hours with love
And once again I come alive

I look at your figure, silent before me
Your arms reach out to surround me
And the tears and the sadness and the fears
Melt away into the foggy past

I keep my eyes wide open
Out of fear
Fear that if I close them you will go and leave me
Alone with my tears

I stand in a clearing in the thick forest
And through the tall, dark trees that surround me
A warm, autumn wind blows
And in my heart I hear a voice
That gently reassures me

I keep my eyes open
I’ve heard that impostor’s voice before
It is a struggle that I cannot win
And when the moment finally comes,
When I must fearfully let my eyes close - I let out a sigh
Because when the mocking morn returns
It will bring back its companion, the bitter loneliness

Later, when I finally dare to open my eyes again
As the darkness begrudgingly surrenders to the advancing light
I see you lying next to me, a perfect ghostly presence
I turn away because I have seen that ghost before

Suddenly, I feel your warm breath on my cold shoulders
Can ghosts breathe?
Slowly I turn and touch you, not daring to believe
And then I see your eyes open,
Two glowing embers looking right through me

Then I know that the voice I heard in my heart
The voice I’ve feared for so long
Was not the impostor’s cruel whispers
For you are here with me
And my lonely days and nights are gone forever.

10.20.2008

Copyright © 2008 DB. All rights fully reserved.


Thank you for letting me share with you this little part of me.

Happy Valentine's Day to all the lovers of the world. And if you are still seeking that special someone to love, do not despair, she or he is just around the corner - I promise!