Promises and Wishes

Wishing Well by Juke55 @ Deviant Art



I circle from pale to shade,
countless steps
around the abandoned well.
Wasted wishes rest 
in dried-up depths, 
we perish
in its hollows. 
Promises break
but wishes will wait 
to be retrieved,
             granted,
                cherished. 

When you were the promise,
you washed over me,
permeating sacred spaces, 
shrouding my soul.
I searched your changing face 
for symmetry and solvency,
longing for stability. 
In wrung-out wrappings, 
I chilled in your deception
as I clung to the warmth
of our inception. 
I trusted you.  
It was easy.
You promised. I believed. 
I wished     the same wish     everyday
that love would last.  

Now, I reel in my resistance to love, 
an outcast of wreckage from your ravine.
Will I ever love again? 
I want to reach in to divulge a deluge 
of brokenness and betrayal. 
I retrace your words between
the yesterdays.
     They start as whispers 
then wail in echoes
     off impervious walls.      
Each sanguine syllable a lie,
projecting sound into a chasm of darkness. 
From the depths of the wishing well,
vows reverberate from my own lips, 
gently rumbling then rousing 
feelings of love turned to loneliness. 
    If one drop of water remains 
    to reflect only one recollected wish, 
    I may find my own eyes 
    not yours looking back,
    and in the end,
              I may learn to forgive.
                      Maybe I will love again.



written 6/2/20 for Silent One's
Promise Contest

Copyright © | Year Posted 2020



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Date: 6/6/2020 12:57:00 PM
This is so soothing Rhonda. The way you transform from believing in promises and aching when they remain unfulfilled to the realization of forgiveness. That's the journey that will lead to bliss. Congratulations on your win :)
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Rhonda Johnson-Saunders
Date: 6/9/2020 11:17:00 PM
Thank you, Aditi!
Date: 6/6/2020 7:27:00 AM
Your poem took me on a journey, starting from the first stanza.. Such vivid imagery, created by a great choice of words.. I am sure you will love again.. Congratulations on your first place in the contest..
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Rhonda Johnson-Saunders
Date: 6/9/2020 11:17:00 PM
Thank you for the placement and inspiring me with your wonderful contests, Silent! I'm sorry I didn't thank you sooner. The time has gotten away from me the last couple days. Looking forward to your next contest. :) Rhonda xx
Date: 6/5/2020 12:07:00 AM
Splendid! Your poems have unique flavour that taste like a cherished mem'ry. Goodluck on your win..Straight to my faves.
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Rhonda Johnson-Saunders
Date: 6/5/2020 2:00:00 PM
Thank you, JCB. I'm grateful for your visits and honored by your fave! Have a great weekend, Rhonda xx
Date: 6/3/2020 2:15:00 PM
Amazing piece of writing Rhonda, full of great imagery and great expression too. You show well the twisted trail of love and it's ways to disapoint. Hope all is well, Blessings always,Gordon
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Rhonda Johnson-Saunders
Date: 6/5/2020 1:58:00 PM
Hi Gordon, thank you for your kindness always. I hope you have a great weekend. Blessings to you, Rhonda xx
Date: 6/3/2020 12:27:00 PM
Rhonda, this is the most beautiful free verse, I was left swirling in your words, a winner to me and FAV _Constance
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Rhonda Johnson-Saunders
Date: 6/5/2020 1:57:00 PM
Thank you, Constance! I'm honored. Have a blessed weekend, Rhonda xx
Date: 6/3/2020 9:21:00 AM
Great entry my friend...nice to see you back in action Rhonda...all the best...^WW^ :o)
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Rhonda Johnson-Saunders
Date: 6/5/2020 1:55:00 PM
Thank you, WW! It's nice to be back. :) Have a wonderful weekend, Rhonda xx
Date: 6/2/2020 10:43:00 PM
Your words and imagery take the reader on a journey through sorrow and longing and disappointment, and finally the magic of forgiveness. A wonderful poem! Good luck in the contest. hugs, Evelyn
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Rhonda Johnson-Saunders
Date: 6/5/2020 1:54:00 PM
Thank you, Evelyn! You are very kind. Have a blessed weekend, Rhonda xx
Date: 6/2/2020 10:16:00 PM
Very well done, Rhonda, you made me feel the sorrow and depth of betrayal in your write. Wonderful for a win in Silent One's contest. Hugs Eve
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Rhonda Johnson-Saunders
Date: 6/5/2020 1:52:00 PM
Hi Eve, thanks for the kind words. Have a great weekend, Rhonda xx
Date: 6/2/2020 10:01:00 PM
Wow! The epic struggle of how to learn to love again --- so deftly and memorably imaged, and its depths plumbed. Bravo, Rhonda! Here's to renewal! :) Gershon
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Rhonda Johnson-Saunders
Date: 6/5/2020 1:51:00 PM
Thanks for the kind visit, Gershon. Have a great weekend, Rhonda xx
Date: 6/2/2020 8:56:00 PM
My friend - forgiveness is the key to living a healthier, far happier life! Promises, wishes and dreams-- blessings that make this world and life worth living. This is without any doubt a truly great free verse piece. And a fav too. God bless..
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Rhonda Johnson-Saunders
Date: 6/2/2020 9:02:00 PM
Thank you, kind friend! Your words are a blessing to me. Hugs, Rhonda
Date: 6/2/2020 6:22:00 PM
wow, Rhonda, this is amazing writing. Rhonda poetry at its best!! So filled with your emotion and well-crafted at the same time.
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Rhonda Johnson-Saunders
Date: 6/2/2020 9:01:00 PM
Thank you, Andrea!
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