A Sojourn Through Times Poem by Valsa George
A Sojourn Through Times
Mind often makes a circuitous pilgrimage
Sliding down and going up the banisters of time
As I hear the grating sound of worn stairs behind
Memories come darting in and out of shadows
From childhood's flamboyant days
Mind scuttles between the past and the present
Skipping over the bliss of buoyant youth
To life's present weary days and to the future
Life's train has sadly changed its track
Years, like torn pages, have flown away
But the frivolous inner child pines
Obstinately for all those, once held dear
I remember having run over silky meadows
Trying to cut across their widening margins
Brushing past brambles and thickets
To chase butterflies that came to molest the lovely blooms
How I went on a search to meet the winged seraphs
That I heard, sang in chorus in Heaven's gilded halls
Looked for God, amid scurrying clouds,
To slay the ghosts, I believed, had hid in my closet
I remember my youth of squandered passions
When I scrawled love's graffiti in my mind's wall
And carried my beloved's picture in my mind
So flawless that no artist could ever conspire to alter.
Now I constantly wage a losing battle
Against forces that threaten to take away my calm
All I see is pain, death and human suffering
And life sadly getting lost in meaningless strife
Age has burdened me with a deadly weight
Fastening chains on my once supple feet
All I pray is - Don't turn me a burden to anyone
And give me a mind set to accept all that comes my way
I like the last line the most though I love the rest of the poem too....especially after sixty years of age when all the responsibilities and duties are finished done fully and that we are free all the good past slowly blossoms again in our memory to be cherished..a splendid work Valsa..like it a lot..God bless you
This is my second reading of this beautiful poem and still I can't find words to express all that i feel....... perhaps i feel all that you have expressed so eloquently. Stay blessed dear Valsa.
Down the memory lane with fond nostalgia, very well-crafted lines, some rich metaphors, and I liked the way it ended- the last stanza, superb.
'All I pray is - Don't turn me a burden to anyone' - that's my payer too. I can relate myself so well to every line of your poem! I think every over-sixty reader too can. The title is philosophical; the verses take your readers along, through the sojourn. A 10 from me for this wonderful poem.
Your closure with the impending old age passage made the memories of youth all the sweeter for their innocence and ability to be totally absorbed in their present. Your pen is an intelligent and sensitive one===onto my fav list as well as 10++++++++++++++
This is incredible writing. Your descriptives seem to be touching everyone's heart! Gorgeous! ! ! Love this- -> " Mind often makes a circuitous pilgrimage / Sliding down and going up the banisters of time / As I hear the grating sound of worn stairs behind / Memories come darting in and out of shadows" 10 +++++++++++
valsa, this is a good poem, a forceful poem, with lots of good images. my favorite is " sliding down and going up the banisters of time." not only does it summon well the mind's activity, but it summons well the way we navigate banisters as young people. i do hope the somber tone of it doesn't hold you constantly. with its looking back at youth, i wonder if you're familiar with " fern hill" by dylan thomas, a favorite poem of mine. -glen
A masterpiece poem with a brilliant title and a heartfelt last stanza.10+
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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12/5/2025 1:06:43 AM # 1.0.0
Ageing and all that it brings are, indeed, unpleasant and unavoidable. We can only hope and pray that the transition to the other world is smooth and hassle free.