Rags Upon Her Bones

A poem about my mother...

She’s sad, she’s broken, she’s all alone

Her skin like rags upon her bones

She sits, she waits, for a call

Praying over a silent phone

 

Mother, do you feel?

The ache, the pain, the life it steals?

The monster came, and it took

From your eyes, that loving look

Like a silent temptress, a clever crook.

 

Her children sit, in the other room

While with you, the monster looms

It takes from you, and it consumes

Your life, your pride, your children too

 

Years have past, and I am grown

I’ve lost my way, I’ve lost my home

I fled away, my soul on loan

But I see her still,

…my mother’s skin, like rags on bones

 

Upon another woman, another lonely girl

Who’s life is broken, its thread unfurls

Tarnishing, the precious pearls

Of her eyes, amidst the swirls

Of the tears that have yet to clear

From all the painful, lonely years

 

And I wonder now, if the moon could see

All the pain, this rising sea

Of tidal waves, emotions bring

 

Would it cry its crystal tears?

For all the lonely years?

For all the pain, washed away,

With Vicodin and beers?

 

I hold this woman close, frail in my arms

I try to whisper words, to keep her out of harm

I hide the breaking, in my heart

The shattered memories,

-tearing me apart

 

Her skin like rags upon her bones

The pearl eyes, turned to rust

Her heart is worn-out, shattered stone

Her lips are dried, her words spit dust

 

But I pray, I say, we’ll be okay

You’re not my mother, you won’t decay

From life to ash, we’ll find a way

To take those pearls and make them shine

To break the stone, and leave behind

The painful past, you now define

 

Your lips will wet, I’ll kiss them soon

There will be no tears from the moon

Your words will sing, everybody knows

Your bones will dress, in finer clothes

 

And return the flesh, the monster tore

And when it’s gone,

-you won’t need those things, -anymore…

Author's Note

This is a poem about my mother, and many of the girls I've met like her in my life...

Reviews

[Southern Cross]

Not only is the poem intense but it shows such a tender caring and patient heart. a heart wanting desperately to eradicate the pain of others. The pain that he too has felt..intoxicating work

[MachinaWriter]

thank you ^^ that...that really means a lot. thank you, you have no idea.

[Hadewijch Lady of the N..]

Very nice onw. Emotional and deep. I loved the part: "Her skin like rags upon her bones."
It was a bit to long for my taste, but very beautiful written though!

Well done,


Hadewijch

[MachinaWriter]

Thank you. I tend to try and mix things up in length, to experiment and stuff. I felt like that line gave a very clear image, and its the first thing that came to my mind when I was writing this. I based the rest of the poem around that line.

[Hadewijch Lady of the North]

it is a good poem. I think you have done it very well!

[Bewitching Sensations]

Such emotion .. one of the best i have seen in awhile on here.. thankyou for sharing

[MachinaWriter]

Thank you very much. I'd love to see your thoughts on some of my other works. If not, then i still thank you for taking the time to read this one. It means a lot. ^^

[Bewitching Sensations]

I will certainly take a look, feel free to view mine :)

[MachinaWriter]

Most certainly ^^

[Craba]

Wow such a strong write, love the emotion thru out! Awesome!

[MachinaWriter]

Thank you so much for the review. I appreciate you taking the time to look at this and leave a comment. It means a lot to hear from people about what they think of my writings.

[Poetta]

Wow. Super rad repetition mixed with so much emotion.

[MachinaWriter]

Rad repetition. My favorite alliteration of the day ^^

[Kenaz]

My, the second poem that brought tears to my eyes. A wonderfully written piece of the heart.

[MachinaWriter]

What was the first? lol

[Kenaz]

I meant the second I'd read that day. The first of yours haha

[MachinaWriter]

Oh lol I've read quite a few poems on here that do that to me. There's some really talented writers on this site. Btw, I'd love to get your opinion on a few of my other pieces of work. I have a compilation of poetry on here in the form of a book, called A Tragic Story, that's pretty much an autobiography in the form of poetry. If you ever get the time, I'd love to hear what you think of it ^^

[Kenaz]

Of course

[Hester Vane]

A beautiful poem. The structure and rythumn are a classic style but suit the emotions of the piece superbly! Well done.

[MachinaWriter]

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I was trying to do something a little more traditional with this piece, as far as the style went and the imagery.

[*~*Butterfly Kisses*~*]

Heartwrenching, personal write. Amazing what years of pain can do to one person to have them spiral downward and no way for the people around them to catch them as they fall. Nicely done.

[MachinaWriter]

Thank you. That spiral is surprisingly easy to fall into and amazingly difficult to rise out of. I'm glad you enjoyed the poem. ^^

[Sami Khalil]

Nice poem... Thank you for sharing...

[eglantine]

I could easily see this as being a song. Do you play any instruments? Play around with it :)