Thursday, August 10, 2017

THE EMPTY CHAIR -- dVerse/ open link

THE EMPTY CHAIR

the locket fell                           lost in the dirt               it was not my intention to ruffle feathers

the hens are a flutter                 the bear comes from the wood             disturbs the peace

the order of the yard                grannie hid in the rafters for a week     no one knew she survived

all the others were eaten           chicken dinner on the ground              the women in white



the moss hung from the trees                the men played games              the sun grew hot

end of summer             you ask                                    will it come again?

before you know it                   a hundred years passed                         the sun still shining

reflecting off the water          each year becomes another memory            can we write them down



give them away            who will keep what is passed                you were here

laughing                                   telling jokes                                          made the trip several times

first he went                 and then you followed                         your empty chair waits your return

August 2, 2017

Note:  This is for my friend, Mary Kelly. 


15 comments:

Jane Dougherty said...

I have always meant to ask you, and I'm plucking up the courage now — what is the significance of the broken lines? I wondered is it was meant to be three different poems, but the sections don't read separately.

Frank Hubeny said...

The surviving chicken must have gone through trauma to witness the slaughter.

Kim M. Russell said...

Empty chairs are sad. We have one sofa, an armchair and a footstool, otherwise there would be empty chairs every day.

Timoteo said...

Oh, my...total goosebumps at the end of this

tonispencer said...

Bless the surviving chicken's heart - it must have been hard being the survivor.

Sanaa Rizvi said...

My goodness I literally have goosebumps!

Mary said...

I feel this one, Annell!

indybev said...

Titillating fragments.

Grace said...

I felt the sadness of seeing those empty chairs, just waiting for someone ~

Arcadia Maria said...

Riveting. Well written.

kaykuala said...

your empty chair
waits your return

Despite not many changes are apparent around there, there is still hopes of seeing some dear ones again. That is a noble thought!

Hank

Kweli said...

"...your empty chair waits your return" has reinforced my belief in the immortality of the soul, which I'm sure quietly occupies that chair. Thanks for sharing!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

How poignant this poem is. Such impact in your closing lines. Sigh.

Susan Anderson said...

What an interesting form! I really enjoyed reading this one.

Mother Wintermoon said...

Interesting form and evocative story. I felt the sadness and poignancy of those empty chairs.

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