(it Was) A Very Good Year. Poem by John F. McCullagh

(it Was) A Very Good Year.

Rating: 2.7


My minds image of my Ellen
Is like a rose preserved from time.
Or like a treasured bottle
from a vintage year for wine.

I am haunted by her memory-
How our fingers intertwined.
The fragrance of her body
as I held it close to mine.

I was Mars and you were Venus
your head rested on my chest.
A summer rain began to fall
persuading us to dress.

Now just the shadow of your smile
Brings tears to a dry place.
Funny how my heart can race
Within the ghost of your embrace.
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You are unchanging, therefore perfect
Your aspect is divine.
I believe our year was vintage-
for love, if not for wine.

(Fifth poem in the Ellen cycle, A summer picnic at Planting Fields, Arboretum in 1979. It was a picnic, marked by a brief rain, where we shared a bottle of Mouton Rothschild)
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COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Kim Barney 16 January 2016

I haven't read the other poems about Ellen, but this one is great!

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Lillian Thomas 30 January 2011

sad yet moving. The endurance of love over the years. nice imagery and rhyming too, though some is more assonance than rhyme.

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Kim Barney 16 January 2016

Assonance is good, Lillian. In some cases it almost works better than full rhyme.

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Kalee Skriver 26 October 2010

This poem is so touching, I am compelled to cry for the loss of this evidently enchanting woman. You have such a deep perception for the parallel of the wine and your love for her. I love this.

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