Ghost

"Please tell us a little about yourself"
Such an innocent request
Surely I can fill volumes for you
And yet.
"Mother", I write
"Wife"

Blank.

This cannot be all I have to say
But the empty space is overwhelming.
I am dead on arrival
And I do not know this woman
This impostor in the looking glass
Gone slack in mind and body

Perhaps my soul slithered out with the afterbirth
Was parcelled up and thrown to the dogs
And what remained, sucked away
As my womb closed and my eyes dulled

Sometimes there are ghosts of me
Still haunting my favourite places:
The beautiful spines of my books
The velvety tip of my Russian Red
The vixen heel of a stiletto

They watch and wait patiently for my return
As I try to glue body and soul back together

Reviews

[Valentine]

I really was DOA when I lost my baby. Had to have numerous transfusions and was brought back to life. A part of me died that day as I was never to have the chance for another pregnancy. We are the only one that can return us to our old selves. Valentine

[Dr. YumnaKay]

"Sometimes there are ghosts of me
Still haunting my favourite places:
The beautiful spines of my books
The velvety tip of my Russian Red
The vixen heel of a stiletto"
I feel as if ghosts of us are everywhere..haunting us..mocking even..
Finding oneself can be very hard sometimes.. This was a compelling read for me.. Good write 👍

[Dolce Vita]

Thank you so much for your review, sorry I've been awol. There is so much about motherhood that's not how I thought it would be and I'm glad other people can relate. Xx

[mercy party]

subject matter was humbling. powerful stuff. so many ways one can feel like they are thrown to the dogs. what can one do with all these ghosts and impostors? write em out i guess. Thanks for the vulnerable poem! loved it

[Dolce Vita]

Thank you so much for reviewing my poem, I have wanted to write something like this for a while.

[Bacchus]

And to find ourselves
In these labels of relations
We need a voice

[Dolce Vita]

Thank you for reviewing me, I think I've found my voice in writing :)

[aLittlePain]

Brilliant! Your expressions are elegant!
I think women are particularly vulnerable to this feeling of losing our selves and trying to fit into the title...I really know this feeling well....sigh.
You've captured the emotion and longing to get back to the you, you used to be with some stunning lines.
Lovely work. Regards Rach

[Dolce Vita]

Thank you Rach, I was really unsure about whether this worked or not so your review made me feel much better! Definitely motherhood does funny things to us...

[aLittlePain]

It does indeed, looking forward to reading more x

[Gee]

'Tis a fine piece of writing. I don't envy you ladies at all, you give everything for everyone but yourselves, selflessly. And then life has semi passed you by. Jeepers, if it was left to us men mankind would die out due to our selfishness. And let me tell ya this, it's a good job God never gave us b***s as well as a todger because no man would ever venture from his bedroom ....and that's a fact

[Dolce Vita]

I was brushing my teeth as I read your review and it made me laugh so much that there was a large explosion of toothpaste! Thanks Gee :)

[BBP]

Amazing write on losing sense of self. A woman can so easily lose herself in the titles of life and this was a great write to honor the feelings we sometimes all go through.

[Dolce Vita]

Thank you for saying that Bev, I'm really grateful for the review.