The Journey
For Gabriel Huizenga’s "Lost-ish Unofficial Poetry Challenge"

I feel misplaced,
Drifting and a bit lost
In this world of mine;
My life is
An evolving conundrum,
Ever disjointed and wistful.
While my body lingers,
Teetering on the edge,
My soul seeks
Days long past,
A time told
In treasured, gilded pages
Of books of old.
*
On this journey,
I search
In a perpetual kind of way,
Spinning and gravitating
To a nonstop melody
In the hidden realms
Of my mind.
I awake to find
(Or do I dream?):
I'm strolling on
Purple, heather strewn moors;
Wandering candlelit halls of
Murky Scottish castles;
Frightened in darkened alley ways;
Exploring an unending allure of
Spectacular supernatural tales;
Constantly perusing painted stories
Composed of only words;
In a courtly Renaissance dance,
Found wondrously immortalized
in Elizabethan plays;
And artfully in pursuit of poetry's
Emblazonment
Across my soul.
*
This night,
I sit alone,
Encumbered by the weight
Of such misplacement.
I wander and I write,
And in the daunting face
Of such tasks,
I long for inspiration
From so many:
Milton and the Bard,
The sisters Brontë,
Keats and Bryon,
Mary Shelley,
F. Scott Fitzgerald,
and Virginia Woolf's
Melancholic prose.
Beneath the guidance
Found only in the moon,
A dream finds wings:
May such masters seize
My wandering soul -
Conduct my pen.
Dare
I dream
Another:
For a faint and haunting echo of
Those glorious geniuses
Who fill my days?
*
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines! Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover!” Mark Twain
*
For Gabriel Huizenga's "Lost-ish Unofficial Poetry Challenge", see link below:
About the Creator
Cindy Calder
From Charleston SC - "I am still learning." Michelangelo
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Excellent storytelling
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Comments (28)
"Beneath the guidance Found only in the moon, A dream finds wings: May such masters seize My wandering soul " This part is so emotional for me. I've been struggling a lot lately and you've given my tears a much needed smile. Congratulations, Cindy, on your placement in Gabriel's challenge. And thank you for this gift.
This is so relatable, Cindy. I love the important message at the end. Congrats on placing in Gabriel's challenge! 🎉
Nice one! Congratulations on placing!
Congrats, Cindy.
Congratulations on placing in the challenge 🤩✅.
Just back to say congratulations on placing in the challenge, Cindy! Richly deserved!
This is magnificent, Cindy- can't believe I'm just getting around to reading it now! I love the literary focus of this piece, and the quiet, inspired, and wistful tone throughout - it is a triumph in capturing something lost-ish, and I absolutely love it. Thanks so much for joining in and sharing your wonderful work! :)
love this...how you got lost in the pages of greatness
I felt connected to this and I love the sign off quote. Well done!
This has the feel of a lost soul, of old. Reaching out to relive a life not yet fully fulfilled, or who loved it so much wishes for more. I may be wrong but this is how I felt
Nicely done!
You're so talented! I especially loved this part: 'My life is An evolving conundrum'
This is stunning, Cindy! I love that in the midst of the lostness that you reach for the stars! Exceptional challenge entry!
so beautiful and eloquent in its melancholia! love love it! so rich in imagery and the references to literary greats gave this all greater weght! deftly done, Cindy!
Wonderful work, Cindy! This had such a melancholic meandering feel to it! Great entry for Gabriel's challenge!
Cc - Ah, Life as an "Evolving Conundrum" - The 'Masters couldn't have said it better. Jj.in.l.a.
A well-wrought ode to masters past and hope in the dreamlike present!
A whimsical tale/poem🤗.
Goodness, that was beautiful. It was so descriptive, I felt loke I was roaming with you. Well done.
What a beautifully woven tapestry of yearning and inspiration! The imagery of wandering moors, candlelit halls, and literary ghosts conjures a poetic odyssey that’s both wistful and grand. Your ode to the masters and their timeless guidance feels like a love letter to creativity itself—absolutely mesmerizing!✨🤍
This was soooo hauntingly beautiful! Loved your take on this challenge!
This piece really captures that feeling of being lost but also searching for inspiration. I love how it blends past and present, mixing personal reflection with a nod to literary giants. That Mark Twain quote at the end is a nice touch—it’s all about embracing the journey and not letting fear hold you back!
Fabulous. I was drifting along with you, thinking about those fictional worlds.
So many interesting aspects to this trail of words that ends with a profound quote. Excellent entry, Cindy!
"I feel misplaced" What a great starting line! Incredible entry, Cindy! 💓🌟