[POEM] Meal In Retrospect Early Version

Preface: Something that I've noticed about myself and a lot of other writers is that we often have a hard time finding pride in our past works or being happy with the progress that we've made. While I do believe that it is important to always find things to improve on in your work, I don't think that it is healthy to be so adverse to what we've created even if our previous works do require significant editing. In the spirit of becoming more accepting of progress and being gentler with my shortcomings, here's an earlier version of one of my poems, Meal in Retrospect (previously titled Forgotten Dinner).

I once had dinner with you, a forgotten

warm bowl of rice cupped to the palm

set with clear broth and filled with steam

We followed with the glance of our hands

and a chance to speak in casts of tea leaves.

After, we drink the fine honeyed water

and saw how the empty settled at the bottom

Wander night streets with dancing dust

and glean in the distance some transforming ocean hue

I would have been dreaming of the companion,

Deep rock and veins of cool soil

planted to the earth like the rooted mountain

Only I have cast aside false memory

to tread this middle highway with lighted leaves

Trust that there is some truth in these hills

and none of us will ever be here again