to just pick up and answer that urgent tone.
To jolt myself out from this strange reverie,
scrape 'now' from my machine gun synapses.
I should throw my unwilling self back into yesterday,
cut myself loose from the suds and lather of todays kitchen,
And find deep in my pockets, the memories, sweet remains
of when you still had your dignity, poise, and gallant stride,
The endearing jaunt to your hat, as you would pass by
before all the roaring and bluster and too bold moves,
That caused you to build our love on shaky ground,
where rubble and lightning replaced promises.
All long gone. The kitchen is almost clean,
suds gurgling down the yawning sink.
Gingham framing kitschy keepsakes,
distractions from a bleak skyline
... and the insistant ringing,
of the cold black phone.
To jolt myself out from this strange reverie,
scrape 'now' from my machine gun synapses.
I should throw my unwilling self back into yesterday,
cut myself loose from the suds and lather of todays kitchen,
And find deep in my pockets, the memories, sweet remains
of when you still had your dignity, poise, and gallant stride,
The endearing jaunt to your hat, as you would pass by
before all the roaring and bluster and too bold moves,
That caused you to build our love on shaky ground,
where rubble and lightning replaced promises.
All long gone. The kitchen is almost clean,
suds gurgling down the yawning sink.
Gingham framing kitschy keepsakes,
distractions from a bleak skyline
... and the insistant ringing,
of the cold black phone.
19 comments:
Wow! I love the flow of this poem, how you begin and end with the phone...and all the thoughts and images and feelings in between! Great wordle!
When I read "the suds and lathers of today's kitchen" I thought of "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune." I don't know if that's how it arrived, but I loved that your piece evoked Shakespeare for me, Susannah. Your kitchen imagery is rich...I'm impressed with where you took it. "All long gone....."
Excellent write!
Susannah, great use of the wordle in this sad description of a marriage gone bad. I like the use of the ringing phone to bookend the poem and the longing evident in the woman's desire to go back in time and recapture the good in their relationship. Well wordled.
This got me:
machine gun synapses
Powerful writing in its imagery. Very sad for its content.
Lovely use of the wordle prompt.
Love the image of the yawning sink, oh, so good. Nice poem, Susannah.
Pamela
Susannah, you have done yourself proud with this poem. As so often happens, I was involved deeply into it before I even thought to notice the wordle words.
A wonderful write!
Sad and believable... excellent imagery.
I was enveloped in the setting from the first ring to the last...well done.
Wonderful poem with it's ending of not wanting to answer the phone for the bad news.
You make this one look easy, so smooth and the flow constant, like that water and suds disappearing down the kitchen sink. Really good write, Susannah,
Elizabeth
It looks like a sad and a clean break with no chances of reconciliation!!
Well carved poem with some of the endearing reminiscences in the middle!!
The words led you in a surprising direction. I think many women can relate to the setting of your poem, and the ideas it contains.
I have added this blog to the Real Toads blogroll :)
In another life I was at that kitchen sink, at that window. This is a wonderful poem.
A ringing phone or a crying baby are two sounds I can't ignore!You painted a domestic scene with undertow...
Thanks everyone for your kind comments. It never ceases to amaze me the directions that the wordle words take me in. :-)
PS. Kerry thank you.
Neat wordle, Susannah! I love" "And find deep in my pockets, the memories, sweet remains of when you still had your dignity, poise, and gallant stride." Impressive poem.
Thanks very much Marianne. :-)
A tremendous poem. I loved the way the words just flowed down the page/screen. Starting and finishing with that ringing phone wrapped the whole poem up so cleverly.
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