Memories of Jasmine – Written November 1994 (Aged 19)

Memories of Jasmine

Memories of Jasmine,
memories of things I have done,
things before I was young,
when I did not seem to care.
But now I am older,
and I need people like you—just there—
to stop life from getting colder.
It is not fair; it is full of irony.
You have to make the best
of what you have got,
the best you can.
Life will always be full of things
we never fully understand.

Memories of Jasmine,
memories of happy times,
when nothing seemed to matter;
when you have a vision of a better thing.
I can only sleep now,
not daring to wake as I dream.
You know what I think,
but it only goes as far as you want.
It stops as soon as you open your eyes.

When you look at me and say, “Don’t,”
then what I want just dies.
But I am not left like a ghost;
I am still speaking to you tomorrow,
and that is so much more than most.
Memories of Jasmine,
memories of which I dream.

James Garratt – November 1994

More poems at
https://theboybehindtheglasses.com/

More about this blog, The Boy Behind the Glasses, here
https://theboybehindtheglasses.com/2020/01/08/the-boy-behind-the-glasses-an-introduction/

More poems from 1994 here
https://theboybehindtheglasses.com/category/poems-and-writing-1994/