Sad, Sad Deirdre Jane

Deirdre Jane laughs all the time

She always has a joke

But shadows lurk within her soul,

Unseen to many folk

 

Those who know her often note

Her smile, sunshine-warm

But never see behind closed doors

The harbored, black-cloud storm

 

If you are friends with Deirdre Jane

Look past her proud veneer

Remember that things rarely are

As we wish them to appear

Reviews

[Rocans]

I know a few people for sure who are like this...myself included. And I guess it is true to some extent for everyone. People hide pain as a defence mechanism to protect from more pain. I like the use of the word veneer, it goes with the idea of the poem well.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Rocans. You are right, most people hide part of themselves, but it is so sad when it goes too deep...

[The Twin Arenas]

Deirdre Jane is a great name.

I like the line "The harbored, black-cloud storm." Harbored is a good word.

Poem reads kind of like an old epitaph.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, WS.

[Damien Thibodeaux]

Deirdre Jane could be hiding many secrets, but I interpreted this as major depression. Depression is always hidden from view. Even those closest to Deirdre Jane can't understand the torment within.

But that's the cool thing about how you wrote this....it's open to interpretation. One could interpret it to mean she's hiding the fact she's a serial killer too.

Awesome write, Rita!

[Rita L. Sev]

Oh, my! A serial killer - I have to say, that DOES make Deirdre Jane more interesting... :) But as you have assessed, I was thinking about depression - wrote this after hearing the news about Robin Williams, and it got me to thinking about people in my own life... chose the name "Deirdre" because it means "sadness"... Thank you, Damien, for your insights.

[Damien Thibodeaux]

And that's further demonstration of your brilliance. Even the name you chose has meaning in the poem.

[Troy Henson]

I do relate Rita. Just because on the outside we show a lighter side of life.....this shell hides the truth in some cases about what's really happening. This write is a tiny lesson to us all. Take note of the person and not that façade. Never judge a book by it's cover.

Well done with this one

Troy

[Rita L. Sev]

"Take note of the person and not the facade..." - I love the way you said this, Troy. So true. Thank you!

[Beccy]

Don't we all sometimes behave in exactly the same way as 'Deirdre Jane.'

'How are you,' friends ask. 'Oh, I'm fine,' we reply, thinking, God, I wish I could say how I really feel.

So easy to relate to this insightful poem.

Beccy.

[Rita L. Sev]

That is true, Beccy - we all have these moments. Fortunate are we who have people in our lives who really listen between the lines... Thanks!

[Michael G. Smith]

A good moral that we should see life with a little skepticism.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Mike.

[TL Boehm]

Yup - always with that light heart your words convey a deeper truth. I have missed you, your writing and your consistent gentle humor tempered with truth.
Well done.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thanks so much, Tammy - it's great to see you again!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this reminds me of smokey robinson's "Tears of a Clown"

"smiling at the public eye, while in my lonely room i cry, the tears of a clown, when there's no one around"---


"this smile's the make-up i wear"

we see what's on the outside...but we can be fooled...sadness lies deep within.

[Rita L. Sev]

Hadn't though of that song, but it is exactly the message - thank you, Jacob.

[Sami Khalil]

Behind closed doors, people harbor so many things. Behind dark clouds, lightning and thunder in the offing. Behind some happy veneers, some wretched and suffering folks who need caring and therapy. An excellent write...:).........................

[Rita L. Sev]

Yep. You just don't know what you don't see... Thank you so much, Sami!

[Sami Khalil]

Yep. You are welcome muchly...:)............................

[MomzillaNC]

A great testament to the lonely isolation we to often hide behind, the walls we build to defend us that ultimately imprison us. This piece is almost a lyric.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Momzilla - I appreciate your kind review!

[MomzillaNC]

You're welcome. I'd love to hear it set to music.