Ah! Does the taste of hope waste away
When the bell tolls in this earthen hell?
Will love keep what was given in sleep,
Or that which seems real only in dreams?
You bade reality fade
And how high will you fly till you sigh
In utter frustration in stark recognition
Of your own condition, and then low bow
To how your highest self is not high…
So you say ‘good bye’
Ah! Only in you are too few the moments
Of sweet satisfaction in total relaxation
Of all your preconditions for exaltation;
You should’ve known you’re not enough…
On your very own
Yeah, you need another — brother, sister
And father, mother — to hold you up now
And make you bold, to no longer quake
In sheer fear with free-flowing tears…
Heart torn apart
What will make you, what will break you?
A three-stranded cord’s much stronger
And lasts longer than one and one alone;
Yeah, you’ve been thrown but you’ve grown;
Now you’ve been shown…
Yeah, you can reach higher than yourself,
Higher than the sky … higher and higher,
Up to eternal fire
Note: Inspired by “Lover’s Affliction” by Nandita of Manan Chained and Josslyn of A Life in Transition.
noblethemes 
Wow! From the first line to the last, so powerful and so beautiful.
Thank you so very, very much!
You’re very welcome! 🙂
Powerful.. very powerful.
Thank you so much!
Yes yeeeeeeeeeeeeeees
Very powerful
As always Sheldon
Thank you so much, Sheldon! All the best to you!
Beautiful and compelling poem!
Lovely to see you around. 🙂
Thank you so very much, Khaya! It’s good to be around! 🙂
“Will love keep what was given in sleep,
Or that which seems real only in dreams?
You bade reality fade”
I think when you let yourself be too entangled in ‘what could bes’ and ‘what ifs’, then ‘it is’ does take a back seat. But then there’s nothing wrong in dreaming, as long as the dreams don’t hurt your reality or better still, those dreams move forward in beautifying the reality.
“And how high will you fly till you sigh
In utter frustration in stark recognition
Of your own condition, and then low bow
To how your highest self is not high…
So you say ‘good bye’”
Oh Jon, ‘someone’ resigned to fate here, didn’t s/he? After having been disillusioned by those dreams. I see a major too in self esteem and self worth in this verse.
And then this is the crux:
“You should’ve known you’re not enough…
On your very own”
No man is an island. But here, we are of course talking on a higher plane. Surrendering is the key. We are nothing without him.
“What will make you, what will break you?
A three-stranded cord’s much stronger
And lasts longer than one and one alone;
Yeah, you’ve been thrown but you’ve grown;
Now you’ve been shown…”
I’m not sure who you are implying to by this 3-stranded cord, but I assume it can’t be just mother father and child. You’ve been thrown and you’ve shown could mean much more than what it looks like. And it’s too personal here to be stated. But i think i know what it means.
Having said that, the closing lines are a revelation not just to the speaker but to all in general. It’s inspirational..for those who continue to hope. There are two kinds of people right? One who make dejection their friend and continue to live in self loathing. The other, who don’t let their past define their future. They learn from their mistakes by saying just this:
“Yeah, you can reach higher than yourself,
Higher than the sky … higher and higher,
Up to eternal fire”
As always, a very powerful write. Thought provoking and inspirational. A blend of personal experience and spiritual awakening.
And thank you, dearest friend. Im flattered you a get inspired by a I wrote.
Ah, my friend! Your analysis of my poetry is always so deep and piercing. You take what I’ve written and elucidate it so well, thus enriching my words ten-fold, turning them gold. Thank you. The three-stranded cord is simply you, others and God, so there is both vertical and horizontal relationship … and communion within community, divinely-human community. This “chord” is not easily broken and, as such, it is also the chord by which one reaches beyond the skies, where there is an ever-enlivening fire in place of the ashes of a solitary flame that burned out long ago. Oh, thank you again, Nandita, for your erudite commentary on this piece! All the best to you w/blessings!
Your words always move me so