Into Obscurity
Those memories once held dear
at first light now sneak in
like rolling fog. Near to being lost,
the traces they leave are more sparse
with each passing, taking with them
any desire to keep them in my grasp.
This poem is my response to Colour me poetry, the prompt from Sarah at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to write a poem inspired by a list of paint colors that Sarah has provided. I’ve used two of them: first light and rolling fog. With “rolling fog” in mind, I thought of this photo (fog on the Missouri River at Jefferson City, Missouri), which I used to illustrate Lost Keepsakes in 2019, so I guess this poem might be considered a continuation. In fact, another version might be an edit of the original (without using “first light”):
Into Obscurity
Do you still keep those memories
we once held dear, now that we have
nothing else to share? The one thing
we could not divide between us
has dwindled away from me, like a rolling fog
that leaves fewer traces with each passing,
taking with it any desire to keep it in my grasp.
rivrvlogr 
The words and the image work so well together. There’s such wistfulness here, with such a light touch.
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Thank you, Sarah.
And thank you for the prompt.
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The fading of memory has a soft sadness to it: ‘like a rolling fog’ describes it so well!
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Such are memories. If only that were not so for all of them.
Thank you, Ingrid.
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yes – so true…
a beautiful, deep poem, Ken
❤
David
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Thank you, David. 🙂
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A touch of loneliness, a pinch of sadness–fog does that to me. You rocked the prompt.
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Thanks, Glen.
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This is incredibly deep and heartfelt, Ken! ❤️❤️
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Thank you!
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I like how you used the rolling fog to memories, slowly drifting away.
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And that they do.
Thank you, Grace.
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Its sad when the last thing you’ve got is the beautiful memories and they fade into distortion.
A heartfelt poem.
Much💜love
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That is so true. Thank you, Gillena.
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Sad but poignant Ken. That’s the way it fades…
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Sadly so. Thank you, Rob.
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Beautiful combination, the poem and the photo!
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🙂 Thank you, Barb.
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Very nicely done, Ken. Great use of the prompt!
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Thanks, Dwight.
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I think as we recollect we are also in the process of forgetting. Nicely done.
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That works for me (unfortunately). I’m running out of room.
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Memories are like rolling fog–we catch glimpses, but we can never get a clear picture. (K)
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Yes. Treasure those glimpses.
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Loneliness, wistfulness and sadness and yet written with such tenderness.
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Thank you.
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You are welcome.
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i love how you use fog.
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Thank you.
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Really interesting post. I enjoyed the version you presented first — really thought it was well-crafted, each word, like full of impact, and thought the cadence of the original poem looser..
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Thank you, Ain. I tend to more spare poetry, so I appreciate your assessment.
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I love the comparison. So true. Some memories linger forever bright, others fade slowly into oblivion.
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Some memories are best left behind. Thank you, Beverly.
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A lonely-feeling poem, Ken. Love the photo, and the way you used the ‘rolling fog.’
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Thank you, Sara. Unfortunately, things do tend to get foggier with each passing year.
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Yup!
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So poignant, Ken. The memories, the fog. . .lovely photo, too.
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Thank you, Merril.
That’s one of my favorite photos.
There are some memories I don’t mind fading. I just wish I had a say in which one do.
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I can see why about the photo, and I understand what you mean about the memories, too.
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