• Re: Seems a long time ago, Tina / poem by Will Dockery

    From will.dockery@will.dockery@gmail-dot-com.no-spam.invalid (Will-Dockery) to alt.arts.poetry.comments on Mon Aug 25 18:04:07 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.arts.poetry.comments

    General Zod wrote:
    Will Dockeryrao wrote:

    Seems a long time ago, Tina

    Staring at a picture book
    as cellos saw away outside
    Photographs of 1981
    Seems very real to me
    such a regal lady
    but it is another land
    far away
    before I threw it all away
    for her
    I know that truth still echoes
    and hurts
    and just reminds me just how
    confused the gambles made
    could sometimes be.

    Tina maybe some days
    do you remember Dunkin' Dine
    when we would go there
    and play the little juke
    box that was on all the tables?
    George Harrison
    remembered John and
    "All those years ago."
    Played The Who a lot:
    as we looked into each others' eyes
    and swore this would stick:
    "You better, you better you bet!"
    Six months later
    all, and I do mean all...
    was lost.

    Tina like a painting
    in my memory
    with your long red cartoon hair
    green tiger eyes
    deep and pure with honesty
    just about as tall as me
    as we clinched together like
    Leonard Cohen's crucifix
    a raving beauty
    of fire and ice and a sparkle of green.

    Game for any games
    I could think of
    you were always taking
    the photos
    and rarely appeared in any
    in Summer of 1981.

    Now I wish I had insisted more
    took the camera
    to for a moment be an artist
    so I could see you
    just a little while
    but then again no.

    Because even now I know folks
    who like
    being the photographer
    because that is being
    the artist
    of the work
    and that was you
    in Summer of 1981.

    I probably never mentioned
    to you
    at the time
    since I'm not sure which of you
    I was talking with
    more that day
    that I had a camera
    filled with photos
    of me and you
    of me and Kathy and Clay
    and those mutual cousins
    in our scene.

    As always running in a hurry
    with my mind
    filled with doubt and worry
    I left that camera
    sitting on a table
    at Church's Chicken
    across the street
    from the Varsity Jr. hot dog stand
    on Lindburg Drive
    second guessing as time passed by.

    It was out of my sight
    for five minutes
    flashing by
    as I would expect now
    36 years of perspective later
    it was gone
    when I got back.

    I asked the employees
    but nobody would admit
    the camera
    was ever there
    it was only a few minutes
    one of those employees
    had to have
    stolen that camera.

    This would be
    a whole roll
    of photos of us
    from that same time period
    these photos of
    Summer 1981...
    as we strolled
    barefoot
    on Cheshire Bridge Road

    And the shortcut
    through the back streets
    giggling
    at the gay guys
    outside Sweet Gum Head bar
    two green haired
    punk rock boys
    kissing
    declared their love
    like we did
    that month in Summer 1981.

    Tina I see you closed
    that picture book
    that box filled with your
    poetry and trinkets
    from a bygone modern age
    I see you waving goodbye
    that was so long ago!

    -Will Dockery



    Good....

    The poem without all the clutter....



    Thanks again for the nod, Zod.

    EfOe


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  • From nancygene.andjayme@nancygene.andjayme@gmail-dot-com.no-spam.invalid (NancyGene) to alt.arts.poetry.comments on Mon Aug 25 19:14:10 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.arts.poetry.comments

    Will Dockery wrote:
    Seems a long time ago, Tina

    Staring at a picture book
    as cellos saw away outside
    Photographs of 1981
    Seems very real to me
    such a regal lady
    but it is another land
    far away
    before I threw it all away
    for her
    I know that truth still echoes
    and hurts
    and just reminds me just how
    confused the gambles made
    could sometimes be.

    Tina maybe some days
    do you remember Dunkin' Dine
    when we would go there
    and play the little juke
    box that was on all the tables?
    George Harrison
    remembered John and
    "All those years ago."
    Played The Who a lot:
    as we looked into each others' eyes
    and swore this would stick:
    "You better, you better you bet!"
    Six months later
    all, and I do mean all...
    was lost.

    Tina like a painting
    in my memory
    with your long red cartoon hair
    green tiger eyes
    deep and pure with honesty
    just about as tall as me
    as we clinched together like
    Leonard Cohen's crucifix
    a raving beauty
    of fire and ice and a sparkle of green.

    Game for any games
    I could think of
    you were always taking
    the photos
    and rarely appeared in any
    in Summer of 1981.

    Now I wish I had insisted more
    took the camera
    to for a moment be an artist
    so I could see you
    just a little while
    but then again no.

    Because even now I know folks
    who like
    being the photographer
    because that is being
    the artist
    of the work
    and that was you
    in Summer of 1981.

    I probably never mentioned
    to you
    at the time
    since I'm not sure which of you
    I was talking with
    more that day
    that I had a camera
    filled with photos
    of me and you
    of me and Kathy and Clay
    and those mutual cousins
    in our scene.

    As always running in a hurry
    with my mind
    filled with doubt and worry
    I left that camera
    sitting on a table
    at Church's Chicken
    across the street
    from the Varsity Jr. hot dog stand
    on Lindburg Drive
    second guessing as time passed by.

    It was out of my sight
    for five minutes
    flashing by
    as I would expect now
    36 years of perspective later
    it was gone
    when I got back.

    I asked the employees
    but nobody would admit
    the camera
    was ever there
    it was only a few minutes
    one of those employees
    had to have
    stolen that camera.

    This would be
    a whole roll
    of photos of us
    from that same time period
    these photos of
    Summer 1981...
    as we strolled
    barefoot
    on Cheshire Bridge Road

    And the shortcut
    through the back streets
    giggling
    at the gay guys
    outside Sweet Gum Head bar
    two green haired
    punk rock boys
    kissing
    declared their love
    like we did
    that month in Summer 1981.

    Tina I see you closed
    that picture book
    that box filled with your
    poetry and trinkets
    from a bygone modern age
    I see you waving goodbye
    that was so long ago!

    -Will Dockery



    Ho, ho, ho


    [Sent from NovaBBS - rocksolid]


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  • From will.dockery@will.dockery@gmail-dot-com.no-spam.invalid (Will-Dockery) to alt.arts.poetry.comments on Mon Aug 25 19:28:10 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.arts.poetry.comments

    NancyGene wrote:
    Ho, ho, ho


    [Sent from NovaBBS - rocksolid]



    Troll much, NancyGene?

    (Original text restored, moved from the troll thread.)

    ***

    Seems a long time ago, Tina

    Staring at a picture book
    as cellos saw away outside
    Photographs of 1981
    Seems very real to me
    such a regal lady
    but it is another land
    far away
    before I threw it all away
    for her
    I know that truth still echoes
    and hurts
    and just reminds me just how
    confused the gambles made
    could sometimes be.

    Tina maybe some days
    do you remember Dunkin' Dine
    when we would go there
    and play the little juke
    box that was on all the tables?
    George Harrison
    remembered John and
    "All those years ago."
    Played The Who a lot:
    as we looked into each others' eyes
    and swore this would stick:
    "You better, you better you bet!"
    Six months later
    all, and I do mean all...
    was lost.

    Tina like a painting
    in my memory
    with your long red cartoon hair
    green tiger eyes
    deep and pure with honesty
    just about as tall as me
    as we clinched together like
    Leonard Cohen's crucifix
    a raving beauty
    of fire and ice and a sparkle of green.

    Game for any games
    I could think of
    you were always taking
    the photos
    and rarely appeared in any
    in Summer of 1981.

    Now I wish I had insisted more
    took the camera
    to for a moment be an artist
    so I could see you
    just a little while
    but then again no.

    Because even now I know folks
    who like
    being the photographer
    because that is being
    the artist
    of the work
    and that was you
    in Summer of 1981.

    I probably never mentioned
    to you
    at the time
    since I'm not sure which of you
    I was talking with
    more that day
    that I had a camera
    filled with photos
    of me and you
    of me and Kathy and Clay
    and those mutual cousins
    in our scene.

    As always running in a hurry
    with my mind
    filled with doubt and worry
    I left that camera
    sitting on a table
    at Church's Chicken
    across the street
    from the Varsity Jr. hot dog stand
    on Lindburg Drive
    second guessing as time passed by.

    It was out of my sight
    for five minutes
    flashing by
    as I would expect now
    36 years of perspective later
    it was gone
    when I got back.

    I asked the employees
    but nobody would admit
    the camera
    was ever there
    it was only a few minutes
    one of those employees
    had to have
    stolen that camera.

    This would be
    a whole roll
    of photos of us
    from that same time period
    these photos of
    Summer 1981...
    as we strolled
    barefoot
    on Cheshire Bridge Road

    And the shortcut
    through the back streets
    giggling
    at the gay guys
    outside Sweet Gum Head bar
    two green haired
    punk rock boys
    kissing
    declared their love
    like we did
    that month in Summer 1981.

    Tina I see you closed
    that picture book
    that box filled with your
    poetry and trinkets
    from a bygone modern age
    I see you waving goodbye
    that was so long ago!

    -Will Dockery

    ***


    View the attachments for this post at: http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=694984332#694984332




    This is a response to the post seen at: http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=659118596#659118596
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