Borrowed Horizons
A poem inspired by one of our Substack and Medium colleagues
Each dawn, a surprise —
eyes open to borrowed light.
The ledger of years tips,
more spent than promised.
I sail on memories' swells,
no regrets anchoring me down.
Justified or not, each action
a buoy in this vast sea of time.
Waiting, always waiting,
for Godot, for meaning, for end.
Distractions like toy boats
bobbing on mortality's tide.
Dreams still flutter like sails:
A pilot's wings, an Aston's purr,
global winds filling imagined spinnakers.
They recede with the horizon,
but I chase them still.
My love stands on the shore,
her gaze a lighthouse beam.
I've vowed to outlast the voyage,
though my vessel creaks and groans.
For now, I navigate by mind's compass,
charting courses on screens and pages.
The journey continues,
each word a wave carrying me forward,
toward that blue, elusive horizon.
This poem was inspired by an article written by Liam Ireland (A Day in the Life) and the article was shared on Beehiiv and Substack.
In this poem, titled "Borrowed Horizons," I’ve attempted to capture the essence of the original text while employing some stylistic elements reminiscent of Gregory Pardlo's work. Here's a breakdown:
1. Structure: The poem is in free verse, without a strict rhyme scheme or meter, which is characteristic of Pardlo's style.
2. Imagery: The poem heavily relies on nautical imagery (sailing, horizons, waves, etc.) to mirror the "setting sail" metaphor in the original text. This also reflects Pardlo's tendency to use extended metaphors.
3. Themes:
- Mortality: The opening stanza reflects the writer's awareness of limited time left.
- Reflection on life: It touches on the idea of having no regrets, similar to the original text.
- Waiting and distraction: This references the "Waiting for Godot" discussion in the original.
- Dreams and aspirations: The poem incorporates the writer's unfulfilled dreams (flying a plane, driving an Aston Martin, sailing around the world).
- Love and companionship: The reference to the writer's wife is included.
4. Language: The poem uses a mix of concrete and abstract imagery, which is often seen in Pardlo's work. For example, "Dreams still flutter like sails" combines the abstract (dreams) with the concrete (sails).
5. Tone: The poem aims to balance melancholy with hope, reflecting the original text's contemplative yet optimistic tone.
6. Personal reflection: Like many of Pardlo's poems, this one takes a personal experience or reflection and expands it into broader themes.
The poem attempts to distill the essence of the original text into a more compact, imagistic form while maintaining its core themes and emotional resonance. It's an interpretation that tries to honor both the source material and Pardlo's poetic style.