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Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669
Michigan, US

0 posted 1999-10-19 02:12 AM


You entered my life like a gentle sigh,
like a quiet breeze blowing softly through the leaves.
You were a stranger first, one who laughed freely and easily,
who spoke of minor intimacies and common grounds,
who made me feel strangely liked and valued.
You became my friend, no longer a stranger,
trusting me with secrets hidden,
confiding what you liked and hated.
We talked and laughed and, as time passed by,
I grew more and more dependent upon your smile.

From strangers to friends was just a baby step,
a step a thousand others take every day.
Without your trust and trusting ways,
without your smiles and encouraging gaze,
I would never have taken the step beyond.
But the gentle breeze blowing through the leaves
is relentless and never ending.
We became closer friends, and closer still,
until much of my life was centered around the times
we spent together.

We traveled far along the path of friendship,
avoiding the bumps somehow, never stumbling,
always in step with one another.
You were my guide, my eyes and ears,
the unfailing light that lit the road before us.
Hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder,
you brought me along our course,
to a destination I had never seen before.
You became my best friend along that journey,
the anchor in my life where none had ever been.

You did a good job of guiding our steps,
a job no other could ever do,
and it wasn't your fault, really, when I stumbled.
Somewhere along our path,
perhaps where the heights were making me dizzy with joy,
I simply lost my balance and fell.
By the grace of God, I fell not to either side, nor to the rear,
but fell instead forward, along the path we'd tread.
My plunge forward was unguided, and my steps were steps you never intended.
I fell in love with you.

From strangers, to friends, to close friends, to best friends.
And beyond.
I've never been sorry for any step we've taken together,
no, not even for the fall I took alone.
I never knew, before knowing you, how empty my life had been.
I thought I was happy. I thought I was successful.
I thought I had known love and all that love can bring.
But the gentle breeze, blowing softly through the leaves,
carries the smell of wild flowers and still wilder beasts,
and what you brought into my life can never be assessed.

We are so very different, you and I. And yet so much the same.
And our differences merge with our similarities,
giving rise to something special and unique.
We talk.
Of all the things I value about this thing that is us,
and there are so many I often lose count,
I value most the way we talk about any thing any time any where.
And each time I listen to you, each time I ponder what you've said,
I learn something new. About you. About me. About the world.
I've learned to trust in your instincts.

I love the vitality and zest that is so much a part of you.
I never would have believed the breeze, blowing softly through the leaves,
could be so filled with life.
I treasure that spark of spirit in you,
that flashing flare of fire that animates all that you do.
It's easy to see how much you love life,
even when life is sometimes less than lovable,
and that love is always mirrored in your eyes and smile.
You are never more beautiful than when that spark ignites
and your vitality blazes in your happy face.

And, yes, I love your beauty, shallow as that may sound.
I love the way your eyes change from blue to blue-green,
the way the morning sun catches afire in your hair,
the way your nostrils move when you breathe deep breaths,
the way your tongue slips out of its safe harbor when you think deep thoughts.
I love the curve of your cheek,
that soft milky canvas for the faint scar you won't talk about.
I love your tiny eyelashes, the small gaps in your teeth,
the way your earlobes hang lower than mine.
Your beauty truly takes my breath away.

I love the way you trust in me, never quite whole hearted,
but always just enough.
That trust started as a small seed, I think,
a tentative whisper of unearned confidence,
often shrouded by a cloak of hesitation and unsurety.
I could always tell when you faltered,
when the steps we took were uncertain and questioned.
And yet still you trusted me,
with your secrets, with your feelings, with yourself.
You'll never know how much that trust has meant to me.

I love the way you understand me too well.
It's uncanny sometimes how well you know my thoughts, my feelings, my moods,
frightening at times how closely our lives have become interlinked.
You know so much of me, secrets I've never told,
thoughts I've never shared, parts of me I've never seen myself.
You've discovered a window into my being,
a window I didn't know was there,
a window no one else has ever found.
It's almost as if our two souls have merged into one,
almost as if the hand of God has repaired that which once was broken.

I love the way we have fun doing the strangest things,
or the way we can enjoy each other doing nothing at all.
We shop and walk, eat and talk,
playing games apart and united.
We study and drill, work and play,
listening to music and singing the words together.
We have fun with each other,
frolicking in our shared pleasures,
you enjoying the thrill of life,
me just enjoying you.

I'm not blinded by my love, though, and know you are not perfect.
You are impatient and easy to anger,
too intolerant when you should tolerate,
too forgiving when you shouldn't forgive.
You allow the stresses of life to mold your day,
allow the commitments of life to shape your way.
I know your imperfections as well as your perfections,
know your faults as well as your assets.
And I find I love you not in spite of those,
but as much because of them as anything else.

Your life has touched mine.
My friendship with you, my love for you,
all that you are and aren't,
have changed my life in ways you cannot fathom,
in ways I could never describe in depth.
The gentle breeze, blowing softly through the leaves,
has worked her wondrous magic,
transforming the one she touched.
I'm not the same man I was a year ago.
I will never be that man again.

The communication we've shared has taught me to value our honest openness,
and I know I'll never be satisfied again with less.
Your trust in me has taught me to trust in you,
knowing you will never intentionally cause me pain.
Your spark of vitality has transformed the way I see life,
giving me reason again to live and cause to celebrate.
Your beauty, both inner and outer, has renewed the wonder
with which I see the world, and has restored my sense of awe.
Even the fun we share, that senseless sense of joy,
has changed the way I live and think.

As much as you've altered my present, though,
the effect you've had on my future is just as great.
I once thought I knew what love meant to me,
once thought I had experienced all that life had to offer.
I lived and I loved, and I hurt and I grew,
and I believed I could never love again,
could never willingly face the pain of caring.
Love was a myth, I thought, and true love, lasting love,
was just a lie told by poets.
But I was wrong.

In learning to love you, I discovered I've never loved before.
Not truly. Not entirely. Not eternally.
I've spent much of my life in love with love,
searching for the fulfillment of a concept,
caring more for caring than caring for another person.
I confused lust with love, intimacy with affection.
And when those feelings waned, when the relationships died,
I wondered why I felt so empty. So hurt.
You changed that, as you've changed so much else.
You taught me how to love.

I wish you knew the me of before,
as you know so well the me of today,
so you could see the difference knowing you has made.
You've changed my life in so many ways,
in ways small and ways important,
in ways you'll never know nor understand.
The impact you've had on me,
on the way I feel and think and act,
will endure forever. Until the end of time.
Like a quiet breeze blowing softly through the leaves.

© Copyright 1999 Ron Carnell - All Rights Reserved
Systematic Decay
Senior Member
since 1999-09-15
Posts 1301
That place with padded walls and funny people in white.........
1 posted 1999-10-19 02:36 AM


Thank you Ron, for that epic poem...

very nice though.

------------------
"Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage."
-Billy Corgan-

suthern
Deputy Moderator 1 TourDeputy Moderator 1 Tour
Member Seraphic
since 1999-07-29
Posts 20723
Louisiana
2 posted 1999-10-19 06:38 AM


This is simply beautiful, Ron... each verse could be a poem in its own right. *S* Two lines found special favor... they described my feelings so well.. " I grew more and more dependent on your smile" and "I never knew, before knowing you, how empty my life had been." For ME to say well done to YOU is sort of like the mouse telling the king the country is running smoothly... but well done! *G*
RainbowGirl
Member Elite
since 1999-07-31
Posts 3023
United Kingdom
3 posted 1999-10-19 06:49 AM


Ron: I'm in agreement with Suthern...the poem conjures up a vision of two happy, smiling people .

HUGS

------------------
You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.


Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191
Cape Cod Massachusetts USA
4 posted 1999-10-19 07:09 AM


This has always been one of my favorites of your poetry - and it's not even a structured work - but then neither is the love between best friends...

The breeze does, indeed, blow softly through the leaves...


Kitty**
Member
since 1999-07-27
Posts 428
Charlottesville,VA USA
5 posted 1999-10-19 07:59 AM


Ron, there is no way I can tell you what this poem meant to me! You have said what I could never say in a million years! Thank you for this!..It's beautiful!! I will keep this one!!

Be a all that you can be..
Never fight your destiny..


------------------
Kitty**

Watcher666
Senior Member
since 1999-10-13
Posts 1606

6 posted 1999-10-19 08:26 AM


Absolutely Fabulous!

------------------
Illusion...what we see and what we do...it's all up to you.

hoot_owl_rn
Member Patricius
since 1999-07-05
Posts 10750
Glen Hope, PA USA
7 posted 1999-10-19 09:03 AM


You do have to post more often Ron, this was absolutely beautiful, thanks for sharing it
Munda
Member Elite
since 1999-10-08
Posts 3544
The Hague, The Netherlands
8 posted 1999-10-19 09:55 AM


Thanks for sharing this, Ron. It is absolutely beautiful !
Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612
Hurricane Alley
9 posted 1999-10-19 10:05 AM


Lovely.... Can there be a better love poem? I don't think so. This is an open honest portrayal of true love - it is simply magnificient. Thank you for sharing this with us. I think she is very lucky to have you!.

Pepper
Member Elite
since 1999-08-19
Posts 3079
Southern Florida
10 posted 1999-10-19 10:15 AM


Beautiful indeed Ron.

------------------

May your days be filled with lots of sunshine and your nights lit up by golden moonbeams

Iloveit
Senior Member
since 1999-09-02
Posts 1121
NM
11 posted 1999-10-19 10:47 AM


well I know suthern loves my dittos, and I hope PVD doesn't mind if I ditto her lol, cause she said it perfectly, I have never read a better love poem, WOW.....makes me sigh with wonder
Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296
Purgatorial Incarceration
12 posted 1999-10-19 10:49 AM


And since everyone else had praised you, (well deserved,) I am going to comment on you never doing things half-way!

Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505
Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA
13 posted 1999-10-19 09:08 PM


I always enjoyed the part in mythology where Zeus would throw down a lightning bolt just to let people know he was around. Even though I'm sure there is not a pretentious bone in your body......nice lightning bolt, Ron.
Denise
Moderator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-08-22
Posts 22648

14 posted 1999-10-19 09:28 PM


Wow! This is beautiful! I really enjoyed the sentiments and the truth in this. This is how every relationship should be!

------------------
Denise

A Romantic Heart
Member Ascendant
since 1999-09-03
Posts 5496
Forever In Your Heart
15 posted 1999-10-19 09:50 PM


Ron...Do you have anymore words left in your heart! wow, I have felt this love before, falling in love with a friend.

Wonderful, beautiful poem!

IsabelleSkye
Member
since 1999-06-27
Posts 253

16 posted 1999-10-19 10:59 PM


Ron~ I'll try to write this through the tears that roll down my face. I can't believe how incredibly beautiful this poem is. It is a truly magnificent piece of work. The passion and trust behind this poem is amazing. To feel like this is such a rare thing, a gift of God for sure. Wow! I will be thinking of this for days!
Much Love, I.Skye

------------------
"With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these walls; for stony limits cannot hold love out; and what love can do that dares love attempt." Romeo & Juliet Act II

Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049
California
17 posted 1999-10-19 11:50 PM


I loved how the breeze through the leaves traveled with you through this poem. You have a remarkable love story. Thankyou for sharing it.
Andrew Scott
Member Elite
since 1999-06-24
Posts 2558
Redlands,CA,USA
18 posted 1999-10-19 11:54 PM


Ron: There is no adequate means to describe the beauty I found within these words. I must simply say thank you for sharing and shake my head in wonder.
Dark Angel
Member Patricius
since 1999-08-04
Posts 10095

19 posted 1999-10-20 07:51 AM


Wow Ron, this is absolutley beautiful, I loved the way.... the gentle breeze blowing through the leaves flowed through the poem. BEAUTIFUL!!!

------------------
What comes from the heart goes to the heart.
Samuel Coleridge



WhtDove
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-22
Posts 9245
Illinois
20 posted 1999-10-20 03:40 PM


Wow Ron I'm in awe at these words! How very deeply touching! I'm left in awe with that the only thing that's coming to mind right now is just WOW!! Thank you for sharing that!
Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669
Michigan, US
21 posted 1999-10-20 04:11 PM


Wow, a guy goes to sleep for a few hours and comes back to find this? I'm overwhelmed and a bit stunned. I don't often find the time to thank everyone for their comments, but there are certainly several here than require a response (inadequate as it might be).


Yes, Systematic, it is a bit long - but as Christopher suggested, one should never do anything in half measure. Thanks to you both!

suthern, I'm glad you enjoyed it and even found a few phrases especially nice. But you ain't no mouse and I ain't no king - so thanks.

Rainbow, I like your vision - 'cause Angela and I did have some very, very happy times together.

Nan, it sounds like you're the only one who's seen this before; glad you like it (but it is structured, just not metrically so ).

Kitty, Watcher, hoot, Munda - thanks for your kind words.

PdV, thanks - and we are all lucky when we find good friends.

Balladeer, you always come up with an original way to say something nice (but I assure you, the only lightning I've ever touched is the kind that comes in a Mason jar).

Izzy, coming from someone who writes free verse as beautifully as do you, that is a serious compliment. Thank you!

Denise, Romantic, Martie, Andrew, WhtDove - I appreciate your sentiments. And I'm glad the unifying phrase came through meaningfully for you.


Did I miss anyone? If so, my general thanks to everyone who read this massive missive and didn't think it sucked.

Justbleu
Member Elite
since 1999-08-31
Posts 3329
Oregon, Originally From Alaska :)
22 posted 2000-07-17 11:33 AM


I'm digging around the archives looking for lost treasures....this is incredible....so very much said in such mere words!!  You are a talent to find the words to describe your feelings....it is a major struggle for me!!!
Thank You sooo much for sharing this piece!!
Loved it!!
Bridgette  


"Somewhere, somehow, it should be possible to touch someone and never let go again. To hold someone, not for a moment but forever." Unknown

Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049
California
23 posted 2001-09-26 11:47 AM


Rom--Me too, just digging around, and again finding much to enjoy.
Temptress
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-06-15
Posts 7136
Mobile, AL
24 posted 2001-09-27 01:57 AM


WOW!   This just goes to show I spent too much time in Adult when these forums first opened, and I missed wonderful work like this. Ron, this is superb in its message. It really is! I'm bookmarking it so I can send it to a wonderful friend of mine later.  

Sometimes the heart needs the solace of solitude and silence.

Justbleu
Member Elite
since 1999-08-31
Posts 3329
Oregon, Originally From Alaska :)
25 posted 2001-12-07 09:04 PM


I sat here in awe of this....then as I scroll down to respond realize I've been this way before.  I enjoyed this very much even the second time!!!!!

Wonderful poem!!!!!!!!!!

Bridgette  

Elizabeth Cor
Senior Member
since 2000-10-13
Posts 879
Over the river and through the woods
26 posted 2001-12-10 03:29 PM


library.
Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049
California
27 posted 2006-02-14 04:06 PM


A good day to bring this one back, I think !  Happy Valentine's Day, Ron!!
Mysteria
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Member Laureate
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328
British Columbia, Canada
28 posted 2006-02-15 12:58 PM


Good grief!  I want you to know I actually did sit here the entire time to read it until I finished it, and glad I did.  Brother, that is more than I think we've heard out of you in years Ron.     I liked this a ton, so much truth in this one sentence.


I've spent much of my life in love with love,
searching for the fulfillment of a concept,
caring more for caring than caring for another person.


Sadly that is a true story for far too many people.  

Drauntz
Member Elite
since 2007-03-16
Posts 2905
Los Angeles California
29 posted 2007-06-12 06:07 PM


wonderful,wonderful, your best poem.
deeply from heart and from life.

yep, true friendship grows like this. and love,is soooo sweet here in your poem.

wonderful piece.

TomMark
Member Elite
since 2007-07-27
Posts 2133
LA,CA
30 posted 2007-12-05 12:31 PM


Read again. This is truly one of your life story and you opened the page to let us to read. I wonder how many times have been in love? Wonderful life experience if  not hurt as equal.  
nakdthoughts
Member Laureate
since 2000-10-29
Posts 19200
Between the Lines
31 posted 2007-12-05 05:43 AM


"And, yes, I love your beauty, shallow as that may sound.
I love the way your eyes change from blue to blue-green,
the way the morning sun catches afire in your hair,
the way your nostrils move when you breathe deep breaths,
the way your tongue slips out of its safe harbor when you think deep thoughts.
I love the curve of your cheek,
that soft milky canvas for the faint scar you won't talk about.
I love your tiny eyelashes, the small gaps in your teeth,
the way your earlobes hang lower than mine.
Your beauty truly takes my breath away."


I don't remember ever reading this..but I haven't been here from the very beginning~~~

every  bit of this is special and endearing...I singled out this part only ...because I  was touched by the tenderness~~


Maureen


Alison
Deputy Moderator 5 ToursDeputy Moderator 1 TourDeputy Moderator 1 TourDeputy Moderator 1 Tour
Member Rara Avis
since 2008-01-27
Posts 9318
Lumpy oatmeal makes me crazy!
32 posted 2009-05-06 03:32 AM


Sometimes poetry just rises to the top.  To me, this is one of those poems.  I savored each word I read and found myself leaning so far into it that my nose was almost touching the screen.  I was even wearing my glasses.

Wonderful writing and wonderful reading.

A

serenity blaze
Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738

33 posted 2009-05-06 04:12 AM


"the way your tongue slips out of its safe harbor when you think deep thoughts."

My favorite line.

But then, it would be, wouldn't it?

(It's sexy--not just because it's tongue--you're like, watching her, she didn't SAY anything, and you just assumed she was thinking "deep thoughts"--and I think that's cute. She might have just been licking some lobster sauce off of her lip--I mean, what do we know?)

*chuckle*

too sweet, but ditch that hat, will ya?


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