Blog, History

Time Stands Still – Rima Dissoluta

by  • 
Le Vieux Port – Marseille

Time Stands Still

Seventeen in nineteen sixty nine
Hair blonde, straight and long
all the way down to the waist
Skirt tiny with a pleat
Way above the knees

Limbs stretched supple, lean and fine
Pushing through the throng
A girl on a mission makes haste 
Never missing a beat
Excusez-moi if you please

Le Vieux Port, Marseille, said the sign
heart skipping it won’t be long
She’ll see him, not a moment to waste
Slipping into her seat
Waiting fifty three years, a breeze


Copyright © 2022 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing
All Rights Reserved

Sanaa is hosting D'Verse Poets tonight and has prompted us with
a French form called Rima Dissoluta.  It is a poem of three five line
stanzas and the rhymes would work as follows:

(1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d, 5-e) (6-a, 7-b, 8-c, 9-d, 10-e) (11-a, 12-b, 13-c, 14-d, 15-e)

I lived in Marseille when I was younger and have fond memories

  24 comments for “Time Stands Still – Rima Dissoluta”

  1. purplepeninportland
    January 10, 2022 at 8:40 pm

    Lovely atmosphere in this, Christine. Some places change radically, but some you can always go back to see.

    • Christine Bolton
      January 10, 2022 at 11:18 pm

      Thanks so much. Isn’t that true? Personally I like to dream about going back in time but I know from experience it is never the same the second time around! ☺️💕

  2. Björn Rudberg (brudberg)
    January 9, 2022 at 9:44 am

    So many years of waiting… love the atmosphere in the beginning, I wonder how it would look after so many years.

    • Christine Bolton
      January 9, 2022 at 12:03 pm

      I wonder too. Whenever I have gone back to anything, whether a place or a former love it never has the same magic. I envy people who can do that.

  3. K.Hartless
    January 5, 2022 at 10:40 pm

    So much suspense. What a wait. Lovely.

    • Christine Bolton
      January 5, 2022 at 11:16 pm

      Thank you so much. I appreciate that. Happy new year! ☺️💕

  4. Grace
    January 5, 2022 at 8:51 pm

    I was filled with anticipation and suspense until the ending. Hope the long wait was all worth it.

    • Christine Bolton
      January 5, 2022 at 11:11 pm

      Thanks Grace. So happy you enjoyed it. Happy new year! ☺️

  5. Lucy
    January 5, 2022 at 8:02 pm

    Christine, I felt like I was right there standing, watching it all happen; that imagery is mind-blowing. Ahhh, this is just so beautiful and enchanting. Memories, the most beautiful ones, the ones we’re really fond of, when we think of them and they send us back, boy do they send us back! It’s like things never changed, at least in our remembrance and I find it to be so evocative in your poem about that. Feels so care-free, wondrous, and above all, it has a vibe of wanting to get out there and see new things, make new experiences. Absolutely beautiful!

    • Christine Bolton
      January 5, 2022 at 11:08 pm

      Lucy, thank you so much for understanding. I spent time in the south of France and Switzerland when I was in my late teens. Straight out of high school. I loved Marseille and I remember the Old Port so well. Thinking about the prompt just took me back there and I felt like I was reliving it. I’m so happy you liked it. Thank you and happy new year Lucy ☺️💕

  6. sanaarizvi
    January 5, 2022 at 11:06 am

    My goodness this is absolutely gorgeous writing, Christine! 😀 I smiled at; “A girl on a mission makes haste /Never missing a beat/Excusez-moi if you please.” Thank you so much for writing to the prompt! 💝💝

    • Christine Bolton
      January 5, 2022 at 11:05 pm

      Thank you Sanaa! I’m so happy you liked it. Thank you for the wonderful prompt ☺️💕

      • sanaarizvi
        January 6, 2022 at 10:01 am

        I loved it! Thank you 🙂

  7. Ain
    January 5, 2022 at 4:33 am

    WONDERFUL, and you kept it all to the end. The feeling and atmosphere in this poem is powerful.

    • Christine Bolton
      January 5, 2022 at 8:42 am

      Thank you Ain. I’m so happy you liked it ☺️

  8. Ingrid
    January 5, 2022 at 2:07 am

    Wow, the idea of time standing still for 53 years: that’s enchanting ❤️felt I was there!

    • ben Alexander
      January 5, 2022 at 4:15 am

      This was my reaction too – and there’s something so specific about 53 that makes this even more real to me.

      <3
      David

      • Ingrid
        January 5, 2022 at 4:19 am

        Yes – chills!

      • Christine Bolton
        January 5, 2022 at 11:02 pm

        Thanks David ☺️💕

    • Christine Bolton
      January 5, 2022 at 8:40 am

      Thank you Ingrid ☺️💕

  9. Sadje
    January 5, 2022 at 12:13 am

    Beautifully written Christine.

    • Christine Bolton
      January 5, 2022 at 11:01 pm

      Thanks Sadje ☺️❤️

      • Sadje
        January 5, 2022 at 11:14 pm

        You’re welcome

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