Missing Poet

So very sad, Poetryman, but there's a hidden beauty in that sadness.
There always is.
I wonder where they go, when they finally drift away.
The not knowing, that's the hardest part...

Thank you for reading and understanding Kasai! Relationships on-line can become deeply personal on-line, but especially so on DUP and other poetry sites where we post our deepest feelings in our verse. So the idea that someone we feel close to would just walk away without so much as a goodbye is very hurtful. Of course it is possible they are unable o come back for stretches at a time for a variety of reasons. But most never come back. Should I mourn them? Are they dead or in a hospital? I put my facebook link in my profile for a reason. I have told my real world friends to make a post there should I die so people will know I didn't abandon hem. I'm only 54 but I had a stroke 5 years ago, so you never know when you might go. I don't want people I care about to needlessly worry or think I am ignoring them on purpose. Here in DUP we have no way to reach each other if we are not signed in. It would be nice if our pm's were forwarded to our email address as they do on facebook. But it's a mystery here on DUP. We never really know who anyone is. There is a cost to the safety of anonymity and my heart has paid the price several times just on DUP. JJ

A muse that has that kind of power over us has no idea what their inconsistency proffers, in terms of the underlying sufferance, we each endure when they disappear, unexpectedly.

May you find comfort in presence, sooner as opposed to later ! 🌞🎈😎🌷

Thank you Shadow! Inspiration can come in many forms. When someone inspires us, they become a muse without even realizing it. Sometimes we let them know, but often poetry is written without the one we wrote it for ever reading it. Still, we miss them when they are gone. Should we take it personally? Maybe something wonderful happened in their life and they just don't have time or are away from their computer for a long time. Who knows? It makes life on the internet very unstable, and with the number of dark poems written from depression, the concern about suicide is very real on DUP. Should I be concerned when members have not signed on in weeks, months or even years? The emptiness I feel is no less real than if these friends were from my physical world... JJ

I envy whoever this was written for... very touching.... sometimes I am my own "missing poet"... hope your poet returns...

Thanks for commenting CGEORGI! Although I was thinking about a particular missing poet yesterday, this applies to about a dozen poets that I have cared for very deeply here and numerous others I have been friends with here and a few other poetry sites. It has always bothered me and worried me when people vanish and there is no way to contact them or find out if something has happened to them. Everyone dies, but how do you know if that is why they are not signing on anymore? I can't imagine losing interest in poetry after it has been a big part of my life since I was 17. Even if I no longer felt inspired to write, I still like to read it. JJ

beautifully revealing...the love & concerns,  the adoration,  the yearns...above all the art made & in the making..
esp. loved the ending verse, "What a still life we could share upon the walls of time" ..tq fr the read & hope the wish comes true the soonest..write on :)

Thank you Uma! Yes exactly!!! The very creation of art comes from the heart, at least it does for me. Writing poetry is an emotional exercise that releases real energy in the most vital of muscles... to write a poem for another poet is as high a form of praise as I can imagine. To share the process of creation is an intimate experience, not so different from making love, on an emotional level. Some people have meaningless sex quite frequently. I cannot understand this, unless they have never experienced how it feels when in love. So is it the same for poets who share their deepest, most intimate feelings in verse? Do poets who vanish have any idea how much they will be missed and how much turmoil is created in the heart of one who cares? I hate to think my facebook page is the only way for concerned friends can go to find out if I am alive or dead... Can't we all just write poetry together? JJ

I think a lot of long-term online writers have encountered such moments, to wonder what happened, and did "I" have something to do with their disappearance.  Of course referring to recent times, you wondered what had happened to me, and then once I had Internet service when I returned home from hospital, I was able to assure you and as we both know, we are able to communicate once again as well as see that the other is writing & posting fresh verse.  For all of the times we've been able to chat R/T, and once I saw this poem, I know that this refers to more than one literary friend.  I know you wear emotions & feelings on your sleeve which leaves a heart open to consequences (aren't so many poets like us often vulnerable in this way?), and isn't it part of the way it goes by default & nature that it's why we have writing as a valve to express poetically?    
   
Be well, dear Joe.  We'll talk more of course.  ~~Jadey

Thanks Jade. Recalling the time I was unable to reach you is indeed one of the inspirations for this poem. Also, the one I mentioned in my PM yesterday and another I was able to contact on facebook yesterday. But there are about a dozen from the last six years here who I am very concerned about. Eighteen years ago, my real world best friend that I had known for over twenty years, killed himself. We met in ninth trying out for the baseball team. We both got cut from the team on the last day of cuts. It was heartbreaking but we bonded in that moment and grew very close. We worked together, lived together and did all kinds of things over the years. About a year before he took his life we had a falling out. We still had to work together and it was some really hard times. After his death our boss called me to cover his shifts. I did not know he was dead at that point. I missed his funeral because no one knew how to contact me. When I went to work to cover his shift one of our co-workers called me to ask me what I thought about his suicide and I was in total shock. I was sitting at his desk in his chair and did not know his funeral was the day before. I still can't believe it. I thought when our boss called me that he was just out sick. It completely blew me away. Even though we had not been on good terms for a year, it still crushed me. But then I think, what if we had not been working together? I might never have found out. I am glad that we have other channels to communicate and I know who to ask if you are not on for a while. There are a few others here I am very close with and we have other methods to chat. It's has gotten to the point where I have more friends I've never met than ones I see in the physical world, and even those friends contact me more on facebook and texting than face to face. This is the world we live in now... JJ

Jade, when uou finally became a missing poet, my heart stopped beating for a moment...
I was so deeply saddened by your passing and will miss you for eternity, unless we have the opportunity to meet in the place called Heaven...
All my heart Jadey, all of it!
JJ

This was sad yet held its own depth extremely well. Love this JJ. You have a gentle soul. <3

I just can't help myself... lol Thank you A!!! 3  jj

And thank you for the RL Dd!!! :)

dearest JJ I understanding this feeling all too well
when poets we come to love just disappear one day
I hope your muse & poet comes back to you..

love Brenda

Thank you Bren! Always nice to hear such comforting words and to see you stopping by to read... :) JJ

Hey JJ........this hit me right thru my heart.......I could've inked this myself........I hope your muse reads this tribute cause it comes from the depths of your heart and soul......this made me so very emotional...... eeustiuflly sad my friend.......purple luv & hugs xo :)

Thank you G! I hope so too... and thanks for the purple luv & hugs!!! I don't see enough of you around here, you must play hide and seek from time to time. JJ

"Perhaps you are ill, or worse, sick of me."
That was such a relatable line. This fear is very overwhelming and I tend to over think things when I'm in a relationship, ask anyone! And I was really able to relate to this. Great job!
- Jessica 🌺

Thank you Jessica! Most of us go through similar situations in life. Glad you could relate. Overthinking will often create friction between minds, but you can never over-feel what is in your heart. That is why I listen to my heart more often than my mind now, it may not be logical but it's the smarter of the two!!! JJ

Jess, this I could have written today for you. I miss you more than I can express!!!
I hope you come back to tell me of your happiness!!! Love always, J

Such a beautiful tribute. I bet every poet who reads it would like to think somebody felt that way about them. This is a very special write and you have got into the habit of writing special pieces. This is my new favourite poem of yours :-)

such an easy add my friend :-)

I can only blame the muse for making me write these poems. It's not my fault! :) Thank you for the special comment David! JJ

What a lovely tribute to a writer that obviously touched your soul.

More than one, but one closer than others. Thank you for reading and commenting Q! JJ

Splendid ache… as only you can do…

Thank you Lil! This poem is very special to me and has grown more so each time another poet vanishes right before my eyes...
JJ