Welcome to Awakenings

Life IS history in the making. Every word we say, everything we do becomes history the moment it is said or done. Life void of memories leaves nothing but emptiness. For those who might consider history boring, think again: It is who we are, what we do and why we are here. We are certainly individuals in our thoughts and deeds but we all germinated from seeds planted long, long ago.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Torn with Time

“History is a cyclic poem written by Time upon the memories of man.”
                                                                    —Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822)
 
Now with fewer bits of information
ways of the world (torn with time)
With time comes progression, with progression comes change,
with change comes growth that often stills memories
as new ways of the world emerge.
 
billboards ravaged with time
maintain their outer shapes
lingering of secrets hidden
as paper peels and drapes
 
diminishing camouflaged enigmas
lay under cover out of view
concealing mysteries beneath their skins
’til forgotten layers push through
 
rugged frames, solid foundations
endure the eroding sands of time
weathering the change in seasons
as the layers gradually unwind
 
billboards generating smiles of life
reveal captivating thought
pressing designs into memory
as images remain taut
 
bleached paper and spotted ink
subtly reflect on times past
fading into the distance
as lone ghosts of meaning last
 
onionskins exposed to the world
tear freely from the scorching surge
relinquishing sun-dried membranes
as tomorrow’s new skins emerge
 

©2012
Awakenings
As you travel along life's highway, notice the decaying billboards, those peeling or splattered with paint. Consider them more than dying words blistering from scorching heat across disparate images. They are a part of history. . .what once attracted attention now reflect aging as life itself. 
 
Become aware of your life's billboards as images inch their way forward revealing memories of events or friendships long forgotten.
 
"Without skin, we would have no wrinkles; without wrinkles, we would have no past, present, or future. Within each new wrinkle resides a memory."
—Sharla Lee Shults (1946–Present) 
  

10 comments:

  1. Very nice.
    Love the sign. Have just been trying to describe one very similar I saw in San Francisco years ago.

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    1. Of all that I have seen, I never saw the need for a picture. I searched the Internet to find this one. Glad you stopped by!

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  2. Sharla, I too love the sign and the metaphor of the billboard and life.
    Dicy

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    1. Thanks, Dicy. The poem is from the upcoming book. Really appreciate your comments:>)

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  3. I loved the insight in this. I never thought about the history of what was displayed on the billboards before. That is a real ahhh moment for me. Thanks so much for your blogs, Sharla, they lift me up in a lot of ways! Hugs, Deirdre

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    1. Looks like we are good for each other! Happy Anniversary!

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  4. Hi,
    How true, how true. Life changes and we changed. There is a song that I love so dear from Nina Simone. It says everything must change, nothing remains the same. To live life being fully conscious of this would probably change the way we treat people. There are no guarantees of tomorrow and what I do today will have some effect on the changes that I have to face in the future.
    Thank you for the poem that reflects the changes around us and for your words to think about.
    Ciao,
    Patricia

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    1. Glad you enjoyed! I have been pleasantly surprised with the reaction to this one:>)

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  5. I love this poem. I also congratulate you on having the ability to look at something as mundane as a peeling billboard and see more to it than meets the eye. That's one reason I love hanging out with writers. We "see" more than other people do!

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    1. This one evolved quite unexpectedly. What would have been really unique would be to have had my camera to shap the billboard that actually sparked the poem's first words!

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