Crystal Visions

He had the look of sailor

Bushy trim, inbled ink

Lips to liquid elegance

Gave me cause to think

I saw his soul

People passed in passing

As they passed and passed on by

I was caught from passing

By reflections in his eye

I saw his soul

In vino told his verity

Crystal goblet crimson stained

Identity invisible

Absent but for pain

I saw his soul

He mused of distant lands, he spoke

Of places he had been

Of service, home, his children

And a wife he’d hardly seen

I saw his soul

He told of losing hope and faith

Of wishing death’s release

Of deepest well he’d ever known

Of falling to his knees

I saw his soul

I asked him frankest questions

And he did not balk from truth

He analysed and after thought

Depicted foolish youth

I saw his soul

He did not ask, I never said

His wine was eloquent

I lived a little of his life’s

Redemptive glass, a gent,

I saw his soul

He gave me food for future

In the telling of his tale

I gave him gloves and scarf, a coin

And wished him fair thee well

I saw it all

12 thoughts on “Crystal Visions”

  2. To be willing to see and to greet the soul… is it the supreme form of compassion? I think it is ultimately an ennobling and uplifting act, a form of service. To meet another as they truly are, beneath their trappings and woes and desires… I loved the repetition and how no matter the reaction, he was revealed…

    Peace
    Michael

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    1. Thank you for such a lovely comment, Michael. I’ve never tended to look at appearances as the deciding factor in assessing people. I’m so glad I didn’t then either. He opened up another world and reality to the callow girl I was.

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  3. I like when poetry becomes a story. You told this tale so well where I could sympathize for the sailor’s mistakes. The wine in the crimson stained crystal goblet was an image I won’t forget.

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    1. Many thanks, Reo.This was a real story – a memory from years ago that recurred. It was the fact that he was drinking from a glass and not from a bottle or can that first caught my attention so it’s obviously stayed with me too. And old gent he was.

      Like

  5. So much I love about all of this Anne Marie, but perhaps this phrase I love the best, “People passed in passing

    As they passed and passed on by

    I was caught from passing

    By reflections in his eye

    I saw his soul”
    Well done. Thank you. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  6. It does us good, I think, to remember that we are all but a moment from this: be it fate, destiny or a higher force, we should always reflect on our blessings.
    Sermon over.
    This is a thoughtful poem, Anne-Marie, full of imagery and points on which to reflect.

    Liked by 1 person

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