a sudden broken quartet - you and I and our soaring
shimmered selves - scattered notes breaking suddenly
shimmered selves - scattered notes breaking suddenly
over the green ribbon foreshortened course of our youth
obliterating the would-be-us slicing cruel cuts in those velvet
fields exposing the smashed mirror of slivered hope beneath
fields exposing the smashed mirror of slivered hope beneath
flung fragments refracting, reflecting, sharp shards of bright despair
like the sting of flashing riotous wasps
moving into tender skin without warning
your string of words – yep - plenty blunt
burning a brain-brand -your response to my pleas
like a rival of sea salt on an opened bloodied
wound - your laughter lifted its knife blade again
and again as though it were natural to slaughter my proffered innocence
–
natural to grind my soul in your indifference –
natural to mill my heart into so much chaff blowing in the wind –
natural to grind my soul in your indifference –
natural to mill my heart into so much chaff blowing in the wind –
like so much nearly invisible, insignificant flotsam
I lay a dismantled, disoriented, destroyed Job, - lingering on
remnants of the summation of my imagined addition of our one plus one –
all that remains of the us that never was, and never shall be, is this
remnants of the summation of my imagined addition of our one plus one –
all that remains of the us that never was, and never shall be, is this
broken uncoupled cacophonous quartet
distilled to a single tenuous, tremulous whistle, breaking
in the darkening sky
distilled to a single tenuous, tremulous whistle, breaking
in the darkening sky
Well, if the two in this poem were a couple, it is definite that they were not well matched. Sounds like a dreadful and torturous relationship.
ReplyDeleteI thank you for linking into Poetry Pantry and hope this week you will visit other poets as well..
My goodness ...I feel flattened after this. What an onslaught. A torrent of words describing something pretty nasty. So much passion on this, even in what comes across as defeat. Some writing !
ReplyDeleteoh that is a heart-gripping write with painful images - the nod to music and math works well in this... hoping for new songs and an equation that works..
ReplyDeleteWhat a strong tragic lament to what never was... especially that laughter curs like a scalpel into my heart. Carve striations of pain and open scabs to create the scar-tissues of nothingness...
ReplyDeleteReading this I could hear the screaming in my head!
ReplyDeleteThe words themselves feel discordant and jarring..echoing the pain and the loss..beautifully so I might add!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had written this. It says what I wanted to say, but I couldn't find the words.
ReplyDeleteA really 'busy' work! I feel exhausted by the end of it.
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of going to the symphony and all the people milling around before the performance, 'in the middle of a crowd.'
ReplyDeleteI love the rhythm of this poem Pearl. Thank you for your warm birthday wishes:-)
ReplyDeleteWell... That was very interesting.
ReplyDeleteZQ
Love the "soaring shimmered selves".......the tumultuous ride of this poem ends strikingly with that one sustained note....."breaking in the darkening sky." Powerful write, my friend.
ReplyDeleteA very rich piece and an especially lovely last four lines - great to read... With Best Wishes Scott www.scotthadstie.com
ReplyDeleteI am aware that "soul murder" is another definition for incest...the deliberate and repeated destruction of an innocent soul/personality. Your poem is a powerful proof that some of those wounds may take a lifetime, or more, to heal. This is a painful, pain filled piece of work.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Love it, just love it!
ReplyDeletei would surmise there was emotional pain involved here. just say'n.
ReplyDeletehope it was cathartic
One might think - but nope - frankly I haven't the foggiest idea where many of my Wordle word inspired poems come from - undoubtedly someone's emotional pain -
DeleteVery very very. In every sense of the word: very. Also love "riotous wasps". Nice work, Pearl.
ReplyDeleteSoaring shimmered selves... LOVE that phrase!
ReplyDeleteWow! I love this, Dr. P. "natural to grind my soul in your indifference –
ReplyDeletenatural to mill my heart into so much chaff blowing in the wind –" Excellent lines.
This poem portrays the pain so vividly, that I literally experienced it while reading... Unfortunately, relationship injuries (="soul murder") are sometimes the most painful of all...
ReplyDelete