Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads
A SUNNY SUNDAY MORNING
Sometimes the ending comes
On a sunny day
Early morning
You have no clue
All is as it was before
The ringing of the phone
Crashes through the silence
Afterwards the world is different
And will always be different
You can’t put things back as they were
Humpty Dumpty knows
Then there are times
You will be forewarned
The end is near
You will stand vigilant
The water will rise
You will drown
It is out of your hands
Your heart will be torn from your body
The kids in the yard will play with it
Shoot hoops
Bounce it on the ground
Leave it where it lies
There will be endings
You say, but I cannot stand this
I do not want it
The life I’ve made is good for me
Let things stay as they are
The universe has other plans
You will not know at first the devastation
That will come later
And for all times
You will carry the pain in your heart
I remember you said to me
On that sunny Sunday morning
There is nothing we can do
At the same time there was a tear
In the sheet of the universe
In the sheet of the universe
So loud, yet I was the only one to hear
And I hear it now
In the silence after
April 29, 2018
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https://claudetteellinger.wordpress.com
“ME TOO"
It has happened to all women
Who dwell in the land
Ruled by men
Even women
Who have some power in this world
Have acted like the rulers
They have also oppressed
And humiliated other women
It is the male experience
Of “Me Too!”
It isn’t easy to stay on top
The suppressed
Just ‘wanta’ be free
Early today in the low light of morning
My kitty was playing with a mouse
It was a deadly game for the mouse
And I thought that is how men
Often play with women
To remain in control
The woman running
From hiding place
To hiding place
Looking for the escape route
More often than not
There is no escape route
What happens
Is what happens
She is not in control
She calls out to others
Eyes are down cast
It seems each woman
Has to fight her own battle
When at last she is able to tell
She is not believed
After all she has no power
She is only a wife
Everyone knows
There is no rape in marriage
She is a whore
She is a sex worker
She shouldn’t have been there
Look at how she is dressed
And he says, “She made me do it.”
April 29, 2018
21 comments:
That sunny morning when the phone calls come... you cannot blame the weather...
A Sunny Sunday Morning - Endings are seldom easy, you describe the angst of it all so well. We have been there, done that.
Me Too - Oh how I wish we could come together (men and women), Is it something in the genes? That which gives power and that which takes it away. I don't have any answers but I have wishes.
Where to start....both so powerful....the first poem tears at the scars in my heart, brings back the tears of those moments we cannot change. And #Me Too, well what can I say.....you have captured how it feels perfectly. Yet now we are feeling more empowered....more aware, stronger to tell our stories and feel finally a bond of womanhood....sad it has to be around this.
When I read two poems at the same time I lose track even though I enjoyed the ride. Humpty knows. Me too.
There will be endings
You say, but I cannot stand this
I do not want it...
I do say this, and it doesn't change a thing.
In your first poem, I so know how time is marked "the time before" and "the time after" when nothing will ever be the same. I feel that rent in the sheet of the universe. Sigh. Beautiful writing, Annell. In your second poem, you have nailed it. Gah. I am glad I will never feel that trapped again.
You are shining today. Yes, it is impossible to keep our balance when the earth rolls away beneath our feet. You express it well and paint an incredible image with your words.
#MeToo is also strong. You tell history. Then give all women the voice to tell herstory. Perhaps as we raise our voices, we may finally find ourstory.
Elizabeth
BRAVO! Your #MeToo piece is powerful! I love what you've written. I feel so passionately about this movement. And proud of all the women coming forward to tell their stories. This atrocity has been kept in the dark for too long. This kind of perverted power must be taken away from these men. Finally, it's a start.
Somehow, endings and goodbyes--even the most lovely ones--never feel all that lovable.
I love your piece. Powerful. It is all of us #me too.
Wow! Another great reading(s).
ZQ
Our experiences are so varied but it is essentially human to stand there after a change cyring wait... You nailed it ...
Wow, two very powerful poems! (I love how you are posting more than one together so I get to see some I otherwise might have missed.)
Both of these pieces are emotive and impactful - the closing stanzas, in particular, are powerfully rendered. Brilliant writing!
Important work!
thanks for the visit today.
A SUNNY SUNDAY MORNING- sometimes endings are lined with pain.
Out of a blue sky, the (almost) silent bolt. It doesn't care much whether we want it to strike or not.
Both powerful poems but i luv the depth of sadness in the first, compared to the report in the second
much love...
powerful stuff! i loved the stanza about the kids playing with a heart. really standout lines, mixed with globs of pain & grittiness.
Love the poem... the tear in the universe..beautifully written!!!
You are right. Sometimes the ending comes when you least expect it. And you can't change the ending. And you can't ever really get over it. The pain remains. The tear in the universe continues to exist.
As for the second poem, we have come a long way....but not far enough! I like the comparison with cat & mouse.
Powerful writing once again, Annell.
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