A Sojourn Through Times Poem by Valsa George

A Sojourn Through Times

Rating: 5.0


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

Thursday, August 22, 2019
Topic(s) of this poem: childhood ,nostalgia,old age
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Indira Renganathan 22 August 2019

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

1 0 Reply
Jasbir Chatterjee 22 August 2019

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.

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Kumarmani Mahakul 22 August 2019

The topic of the poem " A Sojourn Through Times' is much appreciated. The memories from childhood to octogenarian are well executed. The pain, suffering and critical times are touchingly inscribed. Here I want to cite....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.. Great work.10

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Dr Antony Theodore 22 August 2019

youth of squandered passions chase butterflies that came to molest the lovely blooms the bliss of buoyant youth pilgrimage banisters of time Looked for God, amid scurrying clouds, i was just trying to select your wonderful expressions which touch my heart. As you write i too am struglling with the problems of age. thank u for this great poem. tony

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Bill Cantrell 22 August 2019

Wow, this is stunning poetry, above all I have read in quite awhile, this I think is your best....brave my friend, this is a great poem! !

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Khairul Ahsan 28 May 2020

'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.

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Susan Williams 22 May 2020

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++++++++++++++

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Susan Williams 22 May 2020

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 +++++++++++

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Glen Kappy 07 September 2019

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

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Irfanulla Shariff 06 September 2019

A masterpiece poem with a brilliant title and a heartfelt last stanza.10+

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