Sunday, April 11, 2010

One night in Addis Abeba

For her

Had we listened
to the voice within us,
we would have pursued
careers in diplomacy.

I would have studied
African languages,
as once intended,
majoring in Ethiopian.

You would have gone
to Moscow, as your father
had planned for you,
to ultimately join the corps.

We would have met
at a party hosted by the
Kenian embassy, both
unattached, and shared

a taxi when leaving.
We had the driver
take us to Sebastian’s,
where we had cocktails,

looked into each
other’s eyes, eventually
kissing across the chasm
between the communist

and capitalist worlds,
allowing the voice witin us
to speak and outline brightly
our future.

That did not happen, though.
All we have now is
an obscured variant, with the
feeling of potential lost

and but a skeleton of what
the scheme of fate and time
might have had in store.
We both muted that voice.

– Leonard “Had We But” Blumfeld (© 2010)

Written for The thing you didn’t choose, napowrimo #11 and Vicarious at One Single Impression.

9 comments:

gautami tripathy said...

I can't even begin to tell you how much I relate to this..

Seems like my life story.

Also don't forget to post your creative works at Monday Poetry Train Revisited on Monday mornings

Aayushi Mehta said...

I guess we all have a lot of 'could have been's in our lives.

Loved the way this was written!

flaubert said...

There are so many ifs in live aren't there?
Pamela

Robin said...

Nice!!! I love seeing you track the what if theme and then return to the present. (I also relate to this, as I once thought I'd follow the ex-pat route--but didn't. It's hard not to think about the excitment that it would've brought.)

Andy Sewina said...

Phew, "If only!" Nicely thought out!

Loch Rob said...

Hmm, lamenting about what could have been. How many times have I done this. In the end, I go forward on the path I have choses.

Mojo said...

"If only" seems to be the prelude to every other thought I have lately.

Tumblewords: said...

This one resonates strongly. If only...

Amity said...

This is just as vicarious as the writer...:)

Yeah, why, why have we not and we wish to?

Everyone feels to be one like in your poem!

Thanks for sharing such wonderful thoughts!