A simpler time




Of late I reminisce
And dream of childhood days
I think of things I miss
And butterflies that fly my way

Simply, a day in our lives
spent at home,  in the garden
Ice cream was pure delight
The news was of champions

Of late I reminisce
And dream of childhood days
I think of how world peace
Is now precarious, far away

Simply, a day in our lives
Sublime, safe and serene

Of late I reminisce
And dream of childhood days.


Words by ninotazizCopyright 2013 © ninotaziz.All rights reserved.
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Gay, who is absolutely busy moving, invited us to explore the tools of our trade as poets over at dVerse. This reminded me of the times I was a young girl, writing poetry just for the fun of it. Often, I turned to rhymes, rime, assonance and alliteration without realising these were forms that produced musical tones to a piece of writing.

And yes, life was simpler then. The news was not so much in the face, and Presidents come and go when their term was done. The TV was the dominating electronic device. And the office was in the office. But then, we did not have access to the world at our kitchen table. Oh yes, we did. There was the radio.

Thirty years ago, I had no idea what haiku was, and that there was a French poetry form fashioned after our Malay pantun called pantoun. I never knew that Ghazal, which is a genre of traditional songs to me, was also poetry.

Thank you dVerse, thank you Gay.



Note : Most memorable piece of news  then - Nadia Comaneci winning gold at the Olympics and seven  perfect 10s in Montreal. And Torvill and Dean's unforgettable routine - Bolero in Ottawa. I was there. In Ottawa. In 1984.

24 comments:

  1. Ninot Ma'am,
    Your reminisces tugged into my memories too. I can relate to most of them except the poetry-writing parts. Nadia was just poetry by her presence with her dainty and spectacular routines. Nicely!

    Hank

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  2. ..ah, if only today are like the many tomorrows our fathers had... when the simple things count the more... so weird i can't even remember the last time i ever saw a butterfly... and for some reasons there's something in your poem today that reminds me of Emily Dickens... ah, wonderful offering as always... thank you... smiles...

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    Replies
    1. Kelvin, how kind of you. I took the kids to the zoo last weekend and they loved the butterfly zone. We have beautiful butterfly parks in Malaysia. True fairyland!

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    2. ...oops... Ninot, maam... pls disregard 'tomorrows'... i meant to say **yesterdays***.... arrggghh... what a shame... (T____T)...

      ...but it's so good to read this poem again... smiles...

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  3. smiles...i understand...there are days i sometimes wish i could go back to...carefree and so much life before us...if we knew then what we do now...

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    Replies
    1. I am happy and blessed Brian. I just wished the world moved a bit more slowly.

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  4. This should be heard as well as read:
    'reminisce' is a delectable word.

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    Replies
    1. Aprille,
      I was focusing on sounds with this exercise Gay put to us, and I am so glad you 'heard' it!

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  5. we are all interwoven and hopefully we can see it now

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  6. butterflies...a green lawn and ice cream...you don't need much more to be happy IMO...smiles..nice one...

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  7. Thanks, Claudia. Happiness is made of the simplest measures...

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  8. Yes indeed, the perfect childhood scene :)
    Tigerbrite

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  9. There is NO way I could ever forget Bolero, Torvill and Dean ... Nadia too. As the years pass, I find myself lost more frequently in thought, in memories. I wish I had kept a journal all those years ago .. Suppose I'm trying to make up for lost time now with poetry. It's never too late.

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  10. You and I, both, Helen...Nadia at 14 - that was perfection. Strange how then, champions were the focus of existence. Today, it is war. Against one thing or the other.

    Was there anything more sublime than Torvill and Dean's Bolero?

    But yes, it's never too late, dear Helen.

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  11. I think you may be younger than I! As a child, life was more peaceful you are very right, but in my generation, we were very conscious of cold war and then Viet Nam - so no true window! But some had. Lovely poem. k.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Karin,
      Perhaps so. The world has changed, certainly. I remember walking in New York staying at the YMCA absolutely alone without fear. We did have a war later...the Gulf War but relatively it was a peaceful time.

      Thaqnk you Karin.

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  12. As I read this I found myself hoping my children reflect back on their childhood days with such positive memories.

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    Replies
    1. Aaahhhh, that is so true Kim. I shall pray the same for my girls.

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  13. Love this! I so like to write of what is no longer here. Our memories are like jewels that belong only to us.

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    Replies
    1. Jewels that belong only to us...what a unique idea, Renee!

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