In December
Ask me in December, Babs' unofficial Challenge
For Babs Iverson's Ask Me In December Challenge
If you should happen to see me,
Then please turn your heart away.
Please don’t try to remember,
The light on that cold springtime day,
You were not quite yourself,
And I was all that I am,
When we laughed under street lights,
When you un-gloved my hand,
When you asked me that question,
When your hopes turned to dust,
When I grabbed for an answer,
That would guard safe your trust.
“Ask me again in December.”
“But love, its April now.”
“Then don’t ask, not now, not ever,
I’ll make you no promise, no vow.”
Now Christmas lights are gleaming,
The river reflects back their glow,
And I’m thinking of you on this evening,
And the places where we used to go.
I wonder if you could be near me,
In one of these cafes or bars,
Warm in the clamour of people,
Or alone under sparkling stars.
I wonder, if you had just weathered,
One summer, one autumn, one wound,
Would we be here tonight, together?
Would our dreams at last be attuned?
But the lights go out in the cafe’s,
The river slinks back into gloom,
The people disperse into alleys,
And I’m left alone with the moon,
And I hope that if you did see me,
You turned and kept walking away.
Don’t ask me again this December,
For I was not willing to stay.
About the Creator
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Compelling and original writing
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Comments (14)
Cold cold hearted woman. I guess it has to be the right ask, no matter april june or december. Ah the heart that yearns to be free.
Very lyrical and tragically beautiful. Reread a few times especially the lines “You were not quite yourself, And I was all that I am,”
This was sooo beautiful 💝Heartbreaking for sure!💘
Happy endings are sometimes expected but not always necessary. I was routing for one but understand that my feelings are not those of the character’s reality. Why push it if it doesn’t work. Great poem, Hannah!
Oh what a beautiful ouch this was ❤️
Argh...always in the feels. I love...like others have said how you took us to the brink...how we felt those lovely...warm fuzzy feelings...and then there was the loss...like you said to someone else...loves that we have...especially those really deep ones...but arguably anyone that has ever touched us or we have ttouched their lives...never really goes...it gets added into the mix somewhere...we move on...find new loves etc...but we still remember them somewhere...and that's fine. So yeah...this is beautiful...so poetic...so many/too many brilliant lines...so sad, but that fine line between sad and happy, heartbreaking and romantic. Great entry and take on the challenge.
This reminded me of the song "Champagne Problems" by Taylor Swift. Your poem also portrays my situation because I'm not willing to get married so it was very relatable. Loved your poem!
Gosh this was heartbreaking. So many phenomenal lines in this but I think ‘the river slinks back into gloom’ is my favourite.
Wow! You have such a sure and steady hand as a poet, Hannah! The meter and melody carry the poem so adroitly that the resulting feeling and power of the lines take the reader by surprise. Cathy is right, I smiled at the memories you evoked and was saddened that it was lost forever.
This is amazing. I want to smile for the memories and cry for the lost love. Beautiful poem.
This piece takes me back to a time of innocence, when we were young and trying to figure out love and if it is real or a fantasy we made bigger than it really is.
There were so many lines in this I loved. Lines like the river slinks back into gloom... really all the river lines and I wonder if you had just weathered one summer one autumn one wound floored me
Romantic and heartbreaking!!! Love it!!!💕❤️❤️
This is very film noir, I think. I liked it.