It Was There Poem by Godfrey Torrance

The tree outside the window that blocks my view
Shading the house from the immense heat
Of the beaming sun.

The car parked on the side of the street
A blind corner
Of dangerous temperament
The sidewalk beaten by the footprints
Of the ghosts that travel upon it.

Was it there?
Where behind her ear I brushed her hair?
Was it there?
Oh, don't tell me, 'It wasn't.'

The lies we were told
Become the truths that we hold.

It was here in the yard neatly groomed
Where she tried to comprehend
Oh, she'll never understand She will never.

The heartbreak of her hands
It was there within the days and nights
Spent learning about each other.

The inside of a car
Hand in hand
Headlights and street lamps
Hanging overhead.

The blinding nature of the cars
Passing on the opposite side
Of the Under-lit streets
The songs that played into the night
Lyrics became verse
Verse became passion.

Oh, how dark the midnight memories have become
Oh, how dark.

The hugs at the end of the night
An embrace that will always be followed
By an extremity.

Was it there?
In the light of day
Where she Told me the truth?

Was it there, in the dark of night, under a moon so full,
That she told me a lie?

The sins of our fathers'
Set the precedent for our lives.

The pain unbearable
Passion turns to disgust
Moving back to love
It goes on and on, a never ending cycle
Will we ever reach Nirvana?

Will she ever comprehend?
The pain of a life
Spent in agony and treachery?

Oh, the night grows dark
The time we spent together
Is now Concluded.

Weeks go by
Not a word to be said
The tree no longer shades the house
From the heat of the sun
The car no longer blocks
The view of oncoming traffic.

Was it all for not?
Our decisions, revisions and indecisions
Mark the physiognomy of our youth
But now we see the world
From our tainted, corrupted, view.

I'll walk along the gravel path
Staring at the light
Of the canopy of trees
To talk to her again, I refuse.
Like the light through the trees
My heart, diffused.