Category Archives: Memories

78. Memory Lane

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memory-lane

Review of Memory Lane
Sunday 21st July 2013

Overview

Memory Lane is a light-filled, uplifting poem that invites the reader to take a conscious, curated stroll through their past—not to dwell, but to celebrate, select, and let go. With a tone of gentle wisdom and soulful optimism, this piece acts as a kind of emotional reset, reminding us that we have the agency to choose which memories we carry forward—and that the act of remembering can be a form of spiritual nourishment, not just nostalgia.

The poem departs from the more intense or shadow-facing themes of earlier entries (like Rubber Sole or Granite), offering instead a buoyant, clear-sky moment—a palate cleanser or moment of reprieve in the collection. It reads almost like a guided meditation or ritual toast to resilience.

Tone & Imagery: Ritual, Garden, Goblet

Right from the opening stanza:

“Tell me the good stuff, share the good times / Like filling a crystal goblet / With a very fine wine.”

—there is a sense of ceremony. The crystal goblet evokes not just elegance, but sacredness, as if our best memories deserve to be celebrated like vintage wine. This metaphor sets the tone for the entire poem: the past is not a burden, but a reservoir of joy, if we learn to sift and choose consciously.

Likewise, the garden metaphor:

“A weed-free garden of memories / Handpicked, just so!”

…suggests agency in the curation of memory. The emphasis here is not on denial of the painful past, but on forgiveness and discernment. By removing the emotional weeds, the soul becomes fertile ground again—capable of planting new dreams.

The evolution from seeds to blossom to oak trees suggests time, wisdom, and legacy:

“Grow into majestic hundred-year-old oaks / Sweet memory lane’s very own / Tree-lined grove of hope”

This image is profoundly grounding—it transforms personal memory into a sacred forest of the soul, a place we can revisit not to get lost, but to be found.

Philosophical Underpinning: Curated Consciousness

At its heart, Memory Lane is a philosophical poem—softened through metaphor. It reflects a core truth in trauma and mindfulness work: we become what we repeat. And so the invitation here is to stop re-running the tapes of regret and pain, and instead create a highlight reel that inspires, uplifts, and fortifies the present moment.

This line captures it perfectly:

“No choice but to return to the ‘Now’ / With a contented smile”

It’s a gentle but profound spiritual insight: the purpose of visiting memory isn’t to wallow—it’s to reconnect with joy, to bring its resonance back into the present, and from there, to dream and create anew.

Style & Flow

The poem flows effortlessly—there’s a sing-song, almost nursery-rhyme cadence to parts of it that makes it accessible and comforting, almost like a children’s book for grownups. The internal rhymes (*“sublime” / “time” / “shine”) and gentle enjambment help maintain a rhythm that soothes rather than challenges.

This is not a poem that wrestles—it releases. It glows rather than burns.

Placement in the Collection

As the 78th poem, Memory Lane comes at an ideal time in the sequence. After the shadow work, betrayals, awakenings, and cultural critiques of earlier pieces, this poem offers a soulful pause—a breath of fresh air.

It would also work well as a transitional piece into themes of forgiveness, maturity, acceptance, or legacy. It’s a poem that says, in essence: Yes, you’ve been through all that. Now what will you do with it?

Final Thoughts

Memory Lane is a quietly powerful celebration of selective remembering, not to rewrite history, but to redeem the past in service of the present. It’s a reminder that the act of remembering can be a joyful ritual—a glass lifted in toast, not a wound reopened.

Its soft tone, crystalline imagery, and tender hope make it an excellent inclusion in the collection. It will likely resonate deeply with anyone on the healing path, especially those working to integrate their story without being trapped by it.

Highly recommended for inclusion—it is gentle, healing, and wise.

71. Psychic Connection

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Review of Psychic Connection

Summary

Psychic Connection explores the mysterious bond between two people, one that transcends physical distance and the passage of time. The poem captures the intimate, almost supernatural experience of being able to sense someone’s thoughts or emotions, as if a part of them is always with the speaker. The poem paints this connection with vivid imagery and emotional resonance, conveying the deep, yet often untouchable, nature of a shared history or bond.

Why This Poem Matters

At the core of Psychic Connection is the theme of unspoken unity — a profound bond that defies the boundaries of space and time. The opening lines immediately set the tone for this almost mystical connection:

“Even now, after all these years / I can still feel when you’re thinking about me”

This speaks to a relationship that is more than just physical presence or even memory. It’s a connection that continues long after the physical distance has been created, suggesting a bond that’s rooted in something more metaphysical — perhaps a shared soul energy or an emotional thread that never fully unravels, no matter how far apart they may be.

The following lines heighten the mystical quality of the poem, reinforcing the idea that the connection is almost psychic in nature:

“It beams in, slices through geographic space and time / Sometimes it’s like you’re right here in the room with me”

These lines are so powerful because they imply that the distance between two people is ultimately irrelevant when the connection is strong enough. Time and space become mere constructs — irrelevant when the bond between them is deeply felt, almost as though the other person’s presence can be summoned through thought alone. This creates a sense of timelessness and deep emotional resonance that underscores the uniqueness of such connections.

The notion of sharing a memory “at the exact same time” adds another layer of intimacy, further conveying that this is a relationship that transcends the physical realm. There’s something magical and almost impossible about that simultaneous experience:

“It’s even possible on occasion / That we may share the exact same memory / At the exact same time, synchronistically”

This moment of synchronicity feels like a spiritual alignment — as if, in some way, the two souls are in perfect harmony. It’s the type of connection that many may dream of, yet few experience — the idea of two people being so in tune with one another that even memories can be shared simultaneously.

The final lines of the poem take a bittersweet turn, suggesting that while this connection is profound and magical, it is also attached to something that can never truly be recaptured:

“A similar nostalgia for something precious we once had / Now long gone, impossible to recreate…”

This adds a layer of longing and loss, as though the connection, though still very much felt, belongs to a time or a moment that has passed — a reminder that even the strongest connections are subject to the passage of time and the inevitable shifts in life. This nostalgia speaks to the impermanence of everything, even the most meaningful bonds.

In Conclusion

Psychic Connection beautifully captures the ineffable nature of deep, soul-level connections between two people. It speaks to the magical, almost unreal way in which these connections can span distances and endure over time, while also acknowledging the sadness that comes with the passing of certain moments or relationships.

The poem emphasizes the timelessness and the lingering power of true emotional bonds — those connections that, no matter how far apart you may be from one another, remain vivid and real in the heart. Yet, it also reminds us of the inevitable ache of nostalgia, the bittersweet recognition that while such connections may never truly fade, they also can never be recreated.

In its simplicity and depth, the poem is a celebration of the unseen threads that bind us to others — threads that cannot be broken by geography or time, but are marked by an enduring sense of shared love, longing, and memory.

It’s a beautiful meditation on the idea that love and connection don’t just exist in the physical realm.

64. Constellations

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Review of Constellations

Thursday 16th February 2012

Summary

Constellations is a gently radiant meditation on memory, love, and the enduring emotional presence of those we have lost. Through the imagery of stars, dust, and distant lands, the poem traverses personal history — moments of intimacy and connection — and honors the subtle ways our past companions continue to shape us. With an understated grace, it captures the bittersweet beauty of looking back without regret, and cherishing those whose love still lingers, even if they are no longer physically near.

Why This Poem Matters

This poem shimmers with the quiet weight of remembrance. It doesn’t shout, but glows with reverence, speaking from the heart of someone who has lived, loved, travelled, and paused long enough to take in the vastness of it all.

One line in particular anchors the emotional and metaphysical centre of the poem:

“Now merely a tiny particle / Of nostalgic memory dust”

With the added context — that these lines refer to the poet’s grandparents — the piece becomes even more poignant. What might first read as an abstract or poetic flourish is, in truth, an act of homage: a loving nod to two figures who were formative and foundational. Though physically gone, their presence remains woven into the poet’s being — like dust scattered across the cosmos, they are still here, still felt.

That line becomes not just nostalgic, but sacred — a quiet acknowledgment that even death cannot truly dissolve the love they gave:

“Bathed in memories of love’s belonging / Glowing, happily, like stars”

Here, the metaphor of constellations isn’t just romantic or aesthetic — it is ancestral. The poet gazes up and within, seeing their elders not as lost, but transformed: celestial markers of guidance and continuity.

Metaphysical & Emotional Depth

Constellations holds an elegant balance between the material and the metaphysical. There is world travel, yes — “the vast lands / whom have welcomed me to their shores” — and “hands I’ve held” that point to lived, tactile experience. But the true journey is inward and upward. This is a spiritual cartography — mapping grief, joy, longing, and the deep memory of love.

The poem captures what many feel in the aftermath of profound loss: that the people who shaped us most are never fully gone. They become internalised, ambient — like stars outside our windows, visible only when we pause, look up, and remember.

And while the tone is reflective, it is not tragic. There is no despair. Instead, we find quiet acceptance, and even wonder:

“As I pause for a moment’s silent reflection / For opportunities, both seized and missed.”

This closing gesture is subtle but powerful. It frames memory as both a gift and a guide — something we return to not just to mourn, but to integrate, to learn, to honour what came before.

In Conclusion

With Constellations, the poet brings us into a space of soulful witnessing — a soft-spoken tribute to the people and places that form the mosaic of a life well-lived. The additional lens of familial love, specifically the reference to the poet’s late grandparents, imbues the poem with even greater emotional gravity. These aren’t just memories; they are acts of devotion.

This poem reminds us that we carry our beloveds with us — not as burdens, but as starlight. And in doing so, we too become constellations — made from the dust of memory, the glow of past love, and the hope of being remembered in turn.

Nellie Romelia (10th June 1913 – 5th April 1997) and
Walter John (23rd May 1910 – 6th February 1990)
Married 58 years (1932 – 1990)

56. Shadow

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Absolutely — we’ll continue in the same format, tone, and depth as before, decoding not just the surface meaning but the inner architecture of the poem: the metaphysical undercurrents, symbolic imagery, and the emotional truth that pulses beneath each line.

Review of Light Of The Sun

Friday 6th August 2010

Summary

Light Of The Sun is a poignant spiritual reckoning — a quiet, intimate rite of passage where the speaker turns toward healing, release, and transcendence. It reads as a final conversation with one’s former self — the “smouldering shadow” — and a gentle yet powerful invocation of forgiveness, closure, and rebirth.

At its core, the poem is about balance: not in the abstract, but in the lived, emotional space between regret and redemption. Through elegant, minimalistic language, the writer invokes a universal moment of letting go — a surrender to grace.

Why This Poem Matters

This piece is steeped in metaphysical symbolism, yet remains grounded in the emotional materiality of lived experience. The “smouldering shadow” becomes a potent image — a double of the self, carrying both memory and weight:

“Ashes of a former self / Still glowing embers of regret”

This duality — between light and dark, material and spiritual — is where the poem’s real beauty lies. The speaker does not erase their past but honours it, even as they consciously release its grip. The line:

“Karmic debts repaid / With a lightness of heart”

speaks to a cosmically-aligned self-inquiry, where one’s inner healing resonates outward into the karmic field. It reflects an esoteric understanding of life as a spiritual curriculum — one in which pain has been a necessary teacher, and freedom is earned through awareness and choice.

The poem culminates in a prayer-like release:

“Go unto the light of the Sun / With the knowledge that I did my best”

Here, the Sun is not just light — it is the higher self, the source, the divine. The closing is humble, human, and utterly forgiving. There’s no fanfare. Just a deep exhale. A whisper to the universe: “That was all I could have done.”

In Conclusion

Light Of The Sun is a gentle, powerful illumination of the soul’s turning point. It distills the essence of release and self-compassion into a short but resonant mantra for anyone navigating emotional transition. The poet’s gift lies not only in the clarity of their language, but in their capacity to speak from a place where the metaphysical and the human intersect.

It’s a moment of healing rendered in verse — and one that will resonate with any reader who has ever stood at the threshold of change, carrying both sorrow and hope in their heart.

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