Dancing Bones

The skeletons from my closet dance,

partnered by wise circumstance;

 

Rattling inside of me,

not hidden under lock and key

 

Sometimes disreputable bones

multiply and make shameful clones,

 

While the grapevine is less likely to care

about skeletons you’re willing to share

 

They cannot cast rumor stones

at out-in-the-open bones

 

The scandals they themselves hide,

keep guilt and anguish inside

 

So I lead with a graceful stance

And allow my skeletons to dance

 

 

Author's Note

Still hashing this one out...

Reviews

[SyberRose]

I love this Rita...and the dancing skeleton...my skeletons like to cha cha...ha...:)

[Rita L. Sev]

Ha! I like that - perhaps mine should tango... Thanks, Rose!

[Clockwork]

Even though you're still hashing this one out, I like the approach you have in this one. I feel as though allowing others see those skeletons allows us to have freedom, but also shows that we have come to terms with the lives we have lived. There is true strength in this idea in your piece, and it inspires me.

I like stanzas four and five because they show off that once you have come to terms with things, what others think just doesn't matter. Your secrets are out in the open and they can't create new rumors.

Overall, that last stanza is my favorite.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you - you got exactly what I was trying to say. Coming to terms with the past, free from judgment... Glad you enjoyed this...

[Clockwork]

You're welcome

[lee von cleef]

Skeleton Canyon , a place , a Apache singed a truce, below the stronghold of Cochise, in the Chiricahua mountains,with a white man, who is now a minority.

[Rita L. Sev]

Interesting... Thank you for reading!

[lee von cleef]

Thought you would like knowledge, cause I like "Dancing Bones"

[Rita L. Sev]

I do like knowledge - you inspired me to google images of Skeleton Canyon - and I appreciate your enjoying this piece! :)

[Vile]

"So I lead with a graceful stance
And allow my skeletons to dance"



Lovely line. Quite honestly, I loathe rhyming poetry, theirs very few rhyming themed poetry that I enjoy and I've read alot. However, I am becoming quite the fan of your writing. :D

[Rita L. Sev]

Well, thank you very much, Vile. I do write some free verse, but I really enjoy the challenge of saying what I want, and getting a good rhyme. Also, much of my stuff is just pure silliness... :)

[Vile]

Hahaha, fair enough. I prefer free verse, all of what I write you could consider it free verse I suppose. Though I don't know what you'd call it honestly. But I understand the desire to want to get a good rhyme, if done right it creates a nice flow to the piece.

[Angel]

A bit early for Halloween, isn't it?
So, you have skeletons in your closet that like to come out and dance...hmmmm....
Mine just like to roll dust bunnies up under the furniture and chase the neighbor's cat every now and then.
At least...well, the dog swears he didn't do it...

[Rita L. Sev]

Ha! Well, my skeletons are kind of boring compared to some I know. but they stick with me... the dog is afraid of them... ;)

[Angel]

Boring skeletons...LOL
I have to admit...a couple of mine are...well...colorful. But then that just makes for prettier dust bunnies.

[Rita L. Sev]

LOL! :) :)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

skeletons in the closet...for most of us, not a big deal...and we are pretty open about those bones hanging there...famous people always worry about someone opening that closet...i say...just admit it all now, open the door, let the skeletons pop out...then we can move on.

i love the title...thought of stephen king..."bag of bones"

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Jacob. Yes, the skeletons are part of us, and hiding them only intensifies the trouble later on (hear that, Paula Deen?) ;)

Stephen King... just finished his book 11/22/63...

[Will]

I once said to my (at the time) closeted gay friend "F**k the closet man! Let it all hang out!" I guess that same sentiment works here, too. Either way, our secrets and torments will attempt to bring us down, so we might as well keep em out in the open. Great write, Rita, with a different rhyme scheme than usual. I liked it.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Will - you got what I was going for here!

[Wicked Dahlia]

Ha! this comes at a perfect time as someone has made noises about outing our skeletons recently. i could only laugh because as you've said so eloquently here "so i lead with a graceful stance/ and allow my skeletons to dance". we've never hidden our mistakes and blunders, though some are spectacularly embarrassing. we don't like closed doors in this house and the closets are no exception. i'm glad to see we aren't the only ones with this "open door" policy and how artfully you've penned it. the flow is whimsical enough to see the fun you're having with those dusty ol' bones. i enjoyed it immensely!

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Dahlia - I am so glad that you connected with this piece! This is the second version, a bit more streamlined. :)

[Aethereal]

There's a delicious idea behind this poem. Since you're still hashing this one out, I won't give you a fully inspired poem. I'll just give you the following couplet as a gift to keep as your own since I only changed some words to make both lines conform to /0/0/0/ syllable meter. The first two lines sing now:

Bones within my closet dance
partnered by wise circumstance.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Aethereal

[Baby Ricochet]

Awesome. Just like a song by the psycho billy band "The Cramps" and the Cramps were awesome.

[Rita L. Sev]

:) Thank you, Mark