a favorite pen,
lost in thought,
with the tabletop radio
playing something
strangely atmospheric.
of an old friend,
lost in conversation
across the table at a pub,
gleaning deep meaning
from the subtext
of the words they speak,
a complex interplay
of subtle shenanigans,
these will be the things
we reminisce about,
with a smile.
idiosyncrasies swirling,
verbal ticks,
rebellious acts,
meaningless profanity,
unexplainable fears
and attractions,
the things that
propel us forward,
make people love
us or, at times, hate us,
things set us apart,
and shape us into
exactly who
it is we are.
imperfect perfection,
do all you can to
protect the
memory of it,
share your stories
with the children,
or what it means
to be human
might very well
fade away.
In Memoriam
Now for something completely unrelated to this poem. I just found out about the unexpected passing of a long time friend of a lot of people here, @dreemit.
Linnet Iseley-McLaughlin (Dreemit) and I never met face-to-face but had been virtual friends on this blockchain since nearly the very beginning, in 2016. Many of you know she was a writer too, and a talented one at that. Linnet was simply a great human being, always extremely kind and supportive of me (and countless others) and my work and I tried to help her with feedback too whenever she asked.
We always said we would meet face-to-face someday at HiveFest or for a hike with our spouses and I’m so sorry this won’t be possible now. I was so shocked and saddened to hear of her passing. Thanks Linnet for all of the kindness you showed me and spread so liberally on this blockchain. You will be missed and remembered by many.
My heart goes out to her family during this time. Another potent reminder to treasure the time you have with the people in your life.
All for now. Trust your instincts, invest in you, live boldly, and take chances.
Poetry should move us, it should change us, it should glitch our brains, shift our moods to another frequency. Poetry should evoke feelings of melancholy, whimsy, it should remind us what it feels like to be in love, or cause us to think about something in a completely different way. I view poetry, and all art really, as a temporary and fragile bridge between our world and a more pure and refined one. This is a world we could bring into creation if enough of us believed in it. This book is ephemera, destined to end up forgotten, lingering on some dusty shelf or tucked away in a dark attic. Yet the words, they will live on in memory. I hope these words become a part of you, bubble up into your memory when you least expect them to and make you feel a little more alive.
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Let’s Keep In Touch
That poem is really beautiful it gave me goosebumps man!
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks!
Such a powerful poem with a strong message passed across
Much appreciated!
What a beautiful poem. My condolences on the death of your friend, Eric. God bless you..
Thank you Eliana! I really appreciate it. Blessings to you as well!
Fab!!!!! 🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽
Thank you!
Great poem, I smiled at subtle shenanigans
Linnet, such terrible news. I too had known her since then and am still processing the news. Such a young age and she was such a vibrant and positively energetic soul. We chatted often on the Discords. She has left a dreemit shaped hole in the world for sure
I remember how she supported you when a lot of animosity was being directed at you. Her vision shaped a lot of mine about these parts. I am so sad! Do you know what happened? She sure seemed healthy and vibrant to me.
Thank you! Man, I was just so shocked, still am. We had just had a huge exchange on her last (very though provoking) post. I don't hang around Discord much but we were friends on other platforms outside of Hive too. What a true loss.
Yeah, me too mate. Just so out of the blue. We were friends on the infamous 'book - never thought to see anything like that.
I missed her last post but I did read the interchange in the comments. She was very balanced which I always loved
We were friends on the 'book too! It's even tougher when you aren't prepared for it.
She was a breath of fresh air these days with her willingness to consider both sides of any argument.
The book still had its uses for all its flaws!
Yeah, that was something special even though it shouldn't be but in this polarised age it becomes increasingly rare to have a conversation with someone who disagree with you but can actually talk about it.
I mainly keep my page active to stay in touch with friends, we should connect on there. My author page on Facebook gets almost no traction because I refuse to pay for post outreach.
That's a good idea!
I mostly user it for older friends from the power who have gone to other countries (literally or even if it's just in the mind) ;0D
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Great and amazing peom. You are absolutely right if a person doesn't even meet face to face and becomes a good friend and shares things with others then he is missed a lot. In today's world, there is a relationship of friendship where a person can sit down and talk about his heart. Hearing the news of his departure from this world, this heart became very worried and sad because when we suddenly get the news that our friend or any relative has passed away from this world, it is very sad. When my mother also passed away in 2018, she was only 52 years old, so we were very sad. Due to Corona, many people had left this world here in Pakistan as well. Due to Corona, our relative left the world. We can only pray that Allah gives patience to her family as she passed away at a very young age.
Thank you my friend! I'm very sorry to hear of your Mom's passing. It's tough to lose a parent. I lost my Dad in 2020 due to Covid.
Most welcome dear. Yes, when a family member passes away, it is a very tough time for us.
Oh no! What happened?
Cool poem, but eclipsed by this terrible news! She and I spoke a lot about meeting too, because I pass quite regularly by her area. I am shocked and saddened by this news.
I guess it was a very sudden thing. Last I heard Covid had swept through her family but I'm not sure if it was related to that or not. She seemed to be doing okay getting over it. I am just in complete at total shock. She was only 45.
I will be in that area on the day of her celebration of life. I will try to go. I am so sad about this! Boy do I hate to lose my Hive friends. Usually I have some idea they are sick, but this is a complete surprise. Her obit says nothing about cause of death.
I really wish we lived closer. I definitely would be there if we weren't over a thousand miles away.
Hold up, here is another obit that says it was a sudden cardiac event!
Yeah, that's all the family has shared. So very sad!
I really enjoyed every part of the poem but felt bad about the passing out of dreemit which was so sad to here.
Thank you!
That's sad to hear of their passing. I don't know if I ever interacted with her, but it is always a bit sad when one of the fold here leaves either one way or the other. I hope you are doing well. We hit -11 this morning, I imagine it is much colder there.
We became friends when I was releasing my novel in installments in 2016. She even created a Table of Contents for it so people could find/read it easily.
-11 is definitely no joke! It's brutally cold here. The feels-like has been ranging in the -20 range at night and we've been lucky to hit single digits during the day. We are counting down to our Sedona trip! 21 days....
I bet you are! I think that was -11 without the windchill. It was jumping all over the place on the drive here. We were hitting pockets of 0 and then other areas where it was -10 or so.
You may be as bad as us then. I absolutely hate this deep freeze, it happens every January and it gets tougher every year. We were noticing wild fluctuations in temperature too as we were driving out of the city yesterday.
Yeah, I used to think I could handle it pretty well, but the older I get, the more I realize I might not be as okay with it as I used to be. I'm still not a fan of the heat though, so I might be out of luck! The cold is good for the ice fishermen. It was looking like we might not have a great season there for a while.
I didn't used to mind it in Ohio but it was rare to have subzero days that far south. I just hate how confined it forces you to be. Today I'm going to just get bundled up and walk outside anyway, we've been cooped up for days and I'm in desperate need of fresh air.
That makes sense. I still tend to get out and about a little bit with my job, so I can't say I totally understand. It's warmer here today, but the wind has it feeling like it isn't!
This is so sad to hear the passing of @dreemit and keep up the good work for the wonderful poem you share.
Thank you!
I think life was simple and beautiful in analog times. Waiting for a loved song in front of a radio or TV was a good memory.
It was so different, wasn't it? The stark differences between then and now is what gave me the idea to write this.
It was completely different, the technology has affected our life both in positive and negative ways.
I agree!
God, what news! I did not know. Although death is the only sure thing in life, it always surprises us when it comes. As you say so well in your poem, memories are the best tribute we can pay to those who set out on the journey to eternity. Every experience, every moment, every gesture, is part of the mark that the person has left on this side of the shore. We are sure that the world is a little different without them. Today January is coming to an end and I hope that the coming months will be with less losses and more achievements. A hug, Eric.
I know! There's been so much loss it's almost hard to even fathom. Linnet was only 45. All of this definitely forces you to pay more attention to the moments we have with our friends and loved ones! Thank you Nancy! I wish you a wonderful rest of your week!
Hello dear friend @ericvancewalton
Beautiful poem, you are an admirable being
What terrible news, although we did not interact in a while, we have been friends for a long time, since the beginning of everything, this news makes me very sad
Thank you my friend! It's good to hear from you. We've had way too much loss in these past two years.
Wish you strength and power in these dark days and may the memories live in time.
Thanks!
The "lost in thought" is common. I have a paper, a pen and a radio (transceiver) too, but it is a relatively new radio. It is a Yaesu FT-450D. It has DSP (Digital Signal Processing). It was manufactured in the 2010s.
Have a nice day. All the best. Greetings and much love from Hungary.
I think it's good to lose ourselves from time to time. It's almost like a mental reset of sort. Greetings and much love from America!
Wow.. I remember always coming across that handle but being off here for months has made me not realise I don't run into her posts and comments anymore.
May she rest in peace 🕊️
An amazing poem, by the way.
A life so beautifully analog. 🌼
Thank you! She was definitely a strong presence here in the early days and she took the occasional break from writing.
This is really well written
Thank you.