To Know

that moment when you know

beyond knowing --

            sharp right at the last stop,

            turn down a dead end street,

and suddenly you are that girl

 

            the one that fed on phony words,

            as though they were god-nectar

            dripped down from a crack in the floor

                        of nirvana

 

that instant when the Bougainvillea  bites back,

and there is blood on your thumb and forefinger,

on your white dress -- the gown of a ghost,

            not the robe of a saint

 

no church bells toll for you, only funeral dirges

played on out-of-tune pipe organs,

            mocking your mistakes

 

            because you fell for it again, like a child

            who wonders at the same magic trick

            ten times and doesn’t catch the right angle

 

and now you know how it feels --

and now you understand why flowers begin to die

            as soon as they are cut,

            no matter how many chemicals

            you add to the water

Reviews

[Einstein Noodle]

man! i think this is deeply impassioned ..strong personifications and metaphors ..very easy flowing free verse ... i followed the "feelings" top to bottom .. its sinful to victimize an innocence .. predators can sense the opening ..and without conscience abuse it... that's why good fathers warn of it ..brothers guard sisters against it ..but we all have to leave the nest and have our consequences appeased eh!? well done ..in reading i became immersed .. undeserved pain ..:((( but the second time "shame on you" ;)
E.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

This is so well written. To know is to do better; and yet, somehow, even when we know, hoping against hope, we turn around and repeat the same mistake again. The ending lines made me think of women and how we use all types of creams and makeup to make ourselves more beautiful, despite the gravity pulling against us with age. Yes, like flowers, we are all marching to our end. I guess the trick is to find something meaningful along the way to make the life worth living.

Great write!

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

You humble me...I appreciate your words!

[Michael G. Smith]

Ouch, someone really hurt you again?

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Not necessarily "again"...I tend to write across the spectrum of my life, so this one was something that came to mind in a memory.

[shallimarRose]

"and now you know how it feels --
and now you understand why flowers begin to die
as soon as they are cut,
no matter how many chemicals
you add to the water"

Why is it we fall for the same types, believe the same lies and make the same mistakes.
This was an excellent piece Sarah.. Strongly thought provoking. Form great as always.
xo shallimarRose

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Thank you so much, my friend!

[DCT ponderings]

Once again Out of the Park.........gone gone gone! You have a way of speaking to me. I have been dripping in your words lately plowing through you book start to finish and back around again.

When I found myself in just such a place as this my spiritual teacher reached over, patted my leg and lovingly awakened me "You're marriage was the illusion". Great Poem.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Thank you so very much, my friend!

[smilempsn]

Splendid write Sarah..
'To Know' everything is not on our hands..

'and now you know how it feels --
and now you understand why flowers begin to die
as soon as they are cut,
no matter how many chemicals
you add to the water'
Amazing depth in these words...

[MsJewel]

I'm sure many can relate to this poem - fooled by phony words - yes I have been "that girl" bitten when the bougainvilla bites back (love that line) Brilliant writing my friend. :) Julie

[Amy]

Just a couple of lines but a poem that has a deep meaning. Great write Sarah...

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Thank you, Amy :)

[ANTO]

This is fantastic Sarah. A tale of the open heart and how easily it is fooled and hurt just because it is open by virtue. I loved the Bougainvillea reference - a favorite flower of mines.
Bravo
X

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Thank you so much!