good one

Liked this very much...brings out that constant question I keep hearing in the back of my mind..."what the hell is all this about?" The only answer I keep getting is "Just pure and simply being." Guess that will do...
All the best to you, Jude,
Jim

Such deep emotions in these words...

Chrissy

Jude heartrending lines for the days of youth
Beautifully writing and expressed thoughts
Truly beautiful and intense piece
Welcome back you've been missed!!
Peace Love and Light…and Hugssss…Morning Star

Such a thought provoking write my friend...you allowed my mind to drift back to a time of my own youth, making me miss the more simple times...times were harder then but it seems that people for the most part appreciated what they had and didn't mind working for it, here more people lived from the land while also giving back, much more than today. Well thought out, well written with outstanding imagery, enjoyed!
Blessings,
Joyce B.

Thank you for sharing your words with us Jude, as I believe we from birth in need of others, start to return to the need of others as we grow old. Great write.

Newfie Hugs, Rose

beautiful and heartfelt, Jude

I am amazed at some of the responses. I see only that we begin to relive our childhood as we approach old age.

Ron

Tears for we humans who must relive the experiences we thought had been overcome. We learn that change and progress don't always negate revisiting lessons of the past Accidents do happen! Incredible poem! Love and prayers to you Jude...ET

Such nostalgia woven with sadness -- my eyes are moist from this one. Powerfully done.

... well, Axilea's got it, aint' she? And Sherry. This could be my daughter. My son's just back from Peru with all of his future in front of him - plus a newly-acquired, gorgeous girlfriend, which helps! :))... My daughter likewise, being a brilliant scholar, but her temperament is way different: we're about to move precipitately after the whole of their remembered life-span... For my son this is exciting... for my daughter it's a total hell, as if her whole life is being been ripped out of her guts. I have no idea whether, within it all, I am Evil Mommy or Goodfairy Mommy... As Axilea says, the dichotomies of life, according to perspective...

The Poet Of The People strikes again... each of us fitting this poem in to the inner colour-spectrums of our own personal psyche's and experience's wardrobes... One thing's for sure... I wish I could leap over the barriers of emotional restraint and give you a hug! :)) Origins of moods may well be "inadequate", but that don't stop them being real... and really felt. As always, good poetic spade-work here, Jude; you cetainly get down to the grass-roots of the collective consciousness. As for me, think my poetic garden is going to be sadly let-to-go over the coming few weeks and months... Yet nature takes its course... autumn is a time of all things coming to fruition... or dying back... tis, after all, the season of "mists and mellow fruitfulness"... And yes... it's turning out to be a bloody awful summer over here in the UK... no wonder the playpark is deserted and the equipment rusting... Spot on! Karousel Kate xx

There is something of an inner landscape in your poem. We all have places that only exist within our mind. Gardens, castles, ruins, playgrounds. Life unfolds as much in such places as in what we call reality. Sometimes those two worlds communicate and influence each other, sometimes they don't. Interesting vision.

Axilea

Your poem drew me in like a magnet Jude, but I've never read a poem of yours that didn't.

"the seesaw, slide and swing
are playful props
fashioned from a pool of dreams
cradled from memory
and nurtured from the soil of abandoned teardrops-"

Pure genius,
Marcia

Deeply thought provoking, poignant lines for the days of youth - well done, Jude, welcome home, you've been missed.

(((HUGS))) and love, Karla.

so many ways to perceive existance, this one seems to dwell in the rusty illusion of complaining

a very thought provoking and interesting write-enjoyed

Intense yet so down to earth...comparing our literary and mind processes to children is cutting edge and I can so easily see the analogy forming. Well done and good to see you post again Jude, thought we had lost you.

Fee

Jude
When my husband read this poem to me. So many things went through my head at once. This is a powerful poem first and fore most. It took me back to a place where I vision the same beauty. Over the years, it now is decayed and deserted in a neighborhood that once flourished with families and children.

Hi Robert! Reminds me of the news today O'boy.

In this excellent poem, you are able to paint a picture that draws the reader in and to deliver the superficial visions of the person you describe here, though there remains a sort of inability to get to the heart of them. There are times for each of us when our compassion is ruffled by the events that have shaped another’s life and world, but we are unable to help them unchain their heart or assist in delivering them to emotional freedom; somehow, they have found a sense of safety within their imprisoned state. There is a sense of haunting to your words, Jude, that caused me to recall those who have crossed my path and left me with that same helpless feeling. We want to make things right for those we care about, but in reality, only the dreamer can change the dream. Excellent write!
Take care,
Sherry

I felt drawn into your visual of playgrounds and deeper thoughts. I have read this twice and came away with a different feeling each time. Still none the less, this poem really makes you stop and think and dig very deeply..Nicely done, Jude, have missed your writings. Good to see you back.
Peace, love, and light,
Amber "V"

Fascinating

Very thoughtful write. In fact it's a briliant poem! Very good work!

Its appeal spins on a squeaky merry-go-round clockwise and then counter-clockwise...rewind, reversal of time...ancient, deeper memories than childhood, but in the recesses of selective memory DNA going back to the groundwork of origin. A prototype of a skinned-knee, the apocalypse of tread-tracks from a worn sneaker and broken shoe strings caught in the axle. Embryo and fetus cleanse the millenial rust from the playground of the mind through total recall...you lay precision GroundWork, Jude...a real mind-bender.

Love,
Sage

A good write, Bob, I don't totally get it, but a damn strong write nonetheless...Ed

Powerful brute force, a powerhouse of feelings and reflections.
Groundwork truly resonated within me
Cheers
Alain