Juliet Ligon Poet Free verse

Unattainable

Beloved,
with preposterous
persistence,
I still search
for your likeness.
Gravitating
toward every
handsome bald man, 
I scan the light 
that reflects
off their head,
like the globe of home.
I strive for
the sight of bushy,
frost seasoned eyebrows
and hazel eyes
defined with
laugh lines, and I
shape-shift them
to resemble yours.
I hunt for
hearty hands,
calloused and
unabashedly
bleeding from
the weed wacker's
counterattacks.
I hearken to a
Manhattan accent,
while recalling
the name of
your favorite
fruit, "our-ange."
My ears perk
at the pep of
baseball announcers,
the background
soundtrack of
your steady presence.
The scent of rum
comforts me like
your broad-chested hug.
Beloved,
another's 
stubbly cheeks
lead me back to grief.

Unattainable
in this stand-in space,
is your love, 
beloved.
That amiable
smile that delighted
an entire room
no longer blooms with
its fragrant welcome.
Nocturnal
is my fervent search,
without night vision.
Knuckles outstretch,
but palms clutch nothing.
Beloved, your love
is within
roaming shadows,
splattered upon
the pavement
of nightfall.
Glances of
expansive
remembrance thin,
vanishing
into fumbling
fabrications
and uncertainties.
Yet certainly you
are loved forever,
currently
unattainable
to behold.


4-11-2021
David means "beloved."
Dedicated to my dad

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Brian Sambourne April 20, 2021 at 9:31 PM Exceptionally powerful tribute. Expressions like "frost seasoned eyebrows" create such a detailed image. A joy to read your work. Best wishes, Brian Juliet Ligon April 22, 2021 at 9:05 AM Thanks, Brian. My dad's family is from the east coast (he moved to the west). I never did pick up his accent because it's subtle, but when I was a teen I used to tease him that he said "orange" wrong. It's those little details that mean a lot when someone's gone.

Regina Mcintosh April 15, 2021 at 5:27 AM This is so beautiful and caresses the very heart with it's love and hope... waves of compassion. I love it. God bless you always.. (also glad to know the meaning of David)... love, Gina Juliet Ligon April 22, 2021 at 9:06 AM Thanks, Regina. This one's personal, so it means a lot.

Sandra Adams April 14, 2021 at 2:57 PM wow... my dad's name was David too...and my brothers! Love this one, am thinking it's for silents contest, as least the form is similar to one i wrote... great write, funny how we look for something familiar to bring our loved ones memories closer to surface... hugs Juliet Ligon April 14, 2021 at 9:36 PM This one's not for the contest, but I got in that mode after writing for the contest. I struggled to come up with a poem for my dad, but this style seems to be more liberating. I remember you mentioned your dad and brother's name when you wrote for the name contest. David is a great name. Poetic hugs.

Gershon Wolf April 12, 2021 at 8:58 PM POTD, Juliet. Even if it's not selected by Poetry Soup, this poem warms the cockles of this reader's heart. You have not merely introduced me to your Dad, you have etched him indelibly into my conscience. FAVE. FAVE! Thank you, Gershon Juliet Ligon April 12, 2021 at 9:59 PM Aww, thanks Gershon. That means so much! Last week was 13 years since his passing and I struggled to come up with anything until I thought about how I often search for his resemblance. I imagine others do the same when they've lost someone significant.