Rooftop Reverie

The sweetest memories hang
like negatives
in the dark room of my mind
I develop them occasionally
picturing again
more exciting times

Yellows and browns begin to wash
across the leaves outside my window
I haven’t seen you in the flesh
since those shoots were new
it feels so long ago

We ran through those streets
as if we owned them
spinning endlessly from bar to bar
from joke to joke
in our abandon

Our last night in the city
some nameless rooftop bar
we watched the buildings making love
to their reflections on the water
A stranger took our photo
sloshing glasses tucked behind our backs
arms around each other’s shoulders
smiles wider than the frame

I hope there will be other times
another chance and soon
to lose ourselves together
in conversations deep
in the bowels of dimly lit bars
or the roof terraces decked with lanterns
on endless summer evenings
down bustling cobbled alleyways
a community of revellers

O, these dusty memories
bring me close to tears
these dusty memories
chase me round the house
dreaming of a time
when we can crawl out of our bunkers
spend another night
getting lost in the city
finding each other…

Thanks for reading.

Published by

Tom Alexander

"Art is a lie that tells the truth"

15 thoughts on “Rooftop Reverie”

    1. Thanks Kim! Much appreciated. I can’t wait to get back to a time when I can enjoy the company of my city friends again. I hope you’ve been having fun amid the lockdown. 😊🙋‍♂️

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  5. This is great! I know I always say that about your work, but it’s always true. And this was really nice image: “we watched the buildings making love / to their reflections on the water”.

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    1. Thanks Benjamin, I couldn’t resist including that one in a poem about memories… sometimes that’s just the way you remember things. 🙏

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      1. You have the right poetic sensibilities. You’re always impressing me one way or another. I think there’s lots to learn from you technique from tone to depth to word choice. You always have me paying close attention to what you’re doing. I’m honestly intrigued by your work and admire it greatly. Keep writing with your style!

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      2. Thank you Benjamin, I really appreciate you taking the time to read my work and to comment. It’s very encouraging for me and reminds me to keep trying and keep going. 🙏🏼

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