A Tender Reprieve Poem by Uriah Hamilton

A Tender Reprieve

Rating: 4.5


I am naïve about relationships and kisses,
About the dreams that weave themselves
Around a fragile heart,
And I do not know how to protect
Myself from love.

Emotional before photographs of you,
I break like pottery to see you smile,
I crumble like autumn leaves
In a child’s hand
To remember your shimmering brown hair
And the perfection of your neck
That someone else touches.

And I have also lingered lost in thought
About the lighter brown hair of another girl
Who captivated me for a moment, but less excruciatingly:
I nearly fell in love with your best friend
To merely hear her speak your name;
No one will ever understand how much
Those lovely vowels and consonants mean to me.

I need to be granted a tender reprieve
From the languishing agony of not seeing you,
To be set free from the prison of sunless days
Where perfume no longer lingers upon a pillow,
Where flowers fail to form beautiful bouquets
Because I don’t know the way to bring them to you.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Raynette Eitel 06 June 2005

I like this one, Uriah. It is extremely sentimental of course, but most of us have felt this way at one time or another. I particularly like the last stanza. It really could stand on its own. One has to be careful with this kind of poem for it all too often is maudlin. I don't think yours is. Raynette

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Esther Leclerc 20 May 2006

'languishing agony' - this poem is delicate in its revelation of an unpracticed lover, an authentic person not a type, and for that and more, it is a beautiful poem.

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Warren Andersen 05 February 2006

Particularly lovely. I too enjoy the transition between the next to last and last stanza. an amazing completion of the imagery first glimpsed in the title.

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Shannon Chapel 29 December 2005

Uriah, You break my heart. Reading your work is a truly humbling experience. S

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Joy Vanderhelm 04 December 2005

Beautiful, simply beautiful.

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Cj Heck 10 November 2005

Wow, you can write. This is wonderful... you have a gift, Uriah. Hugs, CJ

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