Where Your Absence Lives
A Villanelle of Longing
Each night the stars return, but not your face,
The silence pools where laughter used to be.
I wander hallways time cannot erase.
The moonlight spills its yearning through this space,
A hush of longing will not set me free.
Each night the stars return, but not your face.
I touch your books, your pillow, the empty vase,
Their shadows hold a stubborn memory.
I wander hallways time cannot erase.
Old songs drift in then vanish without a trace,
Yet every refrain stirs the loss in me.
Each night the stars return, but not your face.
I set the table, keep your favorite place,
Pretend the door might open quietly.
I wander hallways time cannot erase.
There is no dawn when longing leaves no trace,
No morning bright enough for me to see.
Each night the stars return, but not your face.
I wander hallways time cannot erase.
About the Creator
Tim Carmichael
Tim is an Appalachian poet and cookbook author. He writes about rural life, family, and the places he grew up around. His poetry and essays have appeared in Bloodroot and Coal Dust, his latest book.
Keep reading
More stories from Tim Carmichael and writers in Poets and other communities.
'20/20'
"Do It Again" the track that would ultimately open the Beach Boys final album on Capitol Records which was released on February 10th 1969 had originally been released as a single in August of 1968. The track was the first of many post-Pet Sounds era throwbacks to the early Beach Boys sound which would become continually more cliched and eventually lead the Beach Boys to the level of self-parody they would eventually succumb to in the 1980s while their closest contemporaries The Beatles nearing the end of their run in 1969 would go on to be viewed as the most influential band of all time. However, the song itself is not bad on its surface, and it opens with a futuristic sounding (for 1969) drumbeat captured by then-Beach Boys engineer Stephen Desper using tape delays on the drums performed by Dennis Wilson and John Guerin. The song has been re-recorded numerous times over the years on various Beach Boys-related projects most notably the 2011 re-recording at Capitol studios featuring the five surviving Beach Boys at the time backed instrumentally by various members of both the Brian Wilson Band and Mike Loves touring "Beach Boys" to promote the then upcoming Beach Boys 50th Anniversary reunion tour in 2012. The hammering and power drill sound at the end of the song was an excerpt from a track called "Workshop" that was to be a part of the uncompleted "SMiLE" album.
By Sean Callaghan7 days ago in Beat
Comments (5)
Poignantly expressed and exquisitely crafted! I'm not a fan of villanelles, but this is extraordinary, Tim.
Stunning work Tim! So hauntingly beautiful my friend!
Your imagery carries the weight of longing with such grace, it lingers long after reading.
Heartbreak is right. The refrains carry the power needed to make this work. I actually groaned when I read "I set the table, keep your favorite place..." Great job filling this restrictive form full of emotion.
Lovely villanelle