Sad Little Girl
she sits, small shoulders huddled
over her lot
single pink-bled posy held as a
talisman
looking for the flames with reedy
sticks poked,
swirling the ashes of today
she sits, tiny blades of shoulders
jutting wings
as her identity flies back to the
joy, the love, the blessed belonging
before grown-up words
of “discernment”and “polarize”
settled as vampirous bats about her
selfless, small being
sucking the joy from her morning,
stifling her laugh
with fear of this fetid new world
where He is gone and
she sits
still
hoping
still
hoping
It is hard when one leaves the innocence of childhood...but I do wish her hope to always stay alive.
ReplyDeleteThe image "tiny blades of shoulders jutting wings" sticks with me when I consider this girl's sadness, and it also underscores her hope. Strong work, Pearl.
ReplyDeleteYou captured a little girl's loneliness, and each little girl will stumble upon it one day.
ReplyDeleteA sad, but, poignant piece. Well written.
ReplyDeleteZQ
sadness carried on those small hunched shoulders, amazing write
ReplyDeletehave a good Sunday
much love...
An intensely emotional poem, very vivid. Makes me wonder who the 'He' is. Very strong poem.
ReplyDeleteMay she hold on to hope... Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThis is a sad reality for so many young travelers as the words swirl above their heads and their worlds are rearranged. Well captured, Pearl.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't take much to take the childhood joy away. A lovely piece of writing. :-)
ReplyDeleteSuch a heavy weight on small shoulders...if only words could be put to one side for a moment or two and a safe hug be warmly given instead..
ReplyDeleteInteresting piece. Innocence lost, perhaps? love it.
ReplyDeleteI liked the tone of your poem. How sad that a lot of children feel they have to leave the realm of their dreams and joy when they grow up1
ReplyDeleteOdd in a way that I chose a similar scenario today with the same words.. they must have triggered something! Girls don't have it easy growing up these days
ReplyDeleteHow many situations can we imagine her in as she pines for a father, or brother or school friend. Emotions are enhanced as children, explode as teenagers and simmer anxiously as adults.
ReplyDeleterich imagery! Well crafted piece/
ReplyDelete"swirling the ashes of today"
ReplyDeleteSo sad. Even the "now" has crumbled before her, gone up in smoke.
sad poem, get the sense this little girl lost her father and feels terrible alone now.
ReplyDeleteVampirous bats! versus small shoulder wings! Yet she will win as long as she stirs the flames to fuel the present. And someone will make a movie from this image and poem.
ReplyDeleteOh so vivid as to what she's doing. I hope its just work.
ReplyDeleteVery personal to me--childhood is not always a good time.
ReplyDeleteThe best foods are vegetable soups (no tomatoes, potatoes
ReplyDeleteor eggplant) with spices, (cardamom, cumin, coriander,
fennel, black pepper, turmeric, etc. MAPS not merely treats children in distress with delicate care but refers to the pain sensation and anxiety of each and every parent dealing
with a child under chronic condition. Her chiropractor performed low amplitude, high velocity manipulation along
the 3 spinal locations and almost 1.