Disfigurement

I have known this girl since youth;
she walked with me through fields
picking berries with a smile.
She always once claimed 
"the world is more beautiful 
than we will ever know";
in the early days I believed her.

We started to drift in our teenage years.
She did not speak her thoughts anymore,
just idle words to which her friends laughed.
She grew un-content, and became a gallery
of changing faces;
Each one layering her
until she was happy labeling herself,
as someone else.

The last time I seen her,
peroxide made capable her forgotten halo.
Her body starved, and upon looking in her eyes,
clearly her mind . 
She helps her stumbling husband into her car.
Now after so many years, I whisper back,
"The world is more treacherous than we will ever know".

Reviews

[Odysseus Wanders]

Your poem espys to me the journey as seen from the outside, ones descent into the underworld. I do not mean this in a bad way. For it is a different place, where a different learning is trying to occur, one that could not be gotten 'above ground'. Her words in the beginning... mean, the world is more beautiful than I'll ever know. Other words... she was saying she was in a place 'un-beautiful'... so to me, it is no wonder that she stumbled onto the path she did... you see it well. Its sad to see. But hopefully we learn from others, never know when will be there.
Good poem. I like the care taken towards to topic. Good story too.
Thanks for this.

[child of God]

Beautiful. Poam sometimes. Change comes and we have to take our own advice. Thank you for pending. Enjoyed. This. Wonderful. Read

[Shane Hogan Poetry]

I'm glad you enjoyed it :-)

[Beccy]

Those cracks in the pavement along the way are always lying in wait. So easy to fall, so difficult to stand tall again.


Beccy.

[R. L. Hill]

This packed with emotion. I feel torn in three directions. Amazing work here, friend.

[BlackHeart]

I find this poem filled with feelings, I felt happy during the first stanza and than I started feeling the pain of the speaker of the poem. I believe that you are an amazing writer and I believe that you will get better and better with the more that you write. Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing this poem with me.

[paras]

life is full of stages and one has to change in order to meet up with present situation and specially liked in the first stanza that you believed her and knew her from youth so even till the end you know her inner nature. Great work.!! keep it up.!! :)

[Shane Hogan Poetry]

Thank you paras :)

[Vidya Bacchus]

Life changes people.We try to conform to what society tells us is the norm.How to look, how to behave ,how to live.People change as they feel they must.

[Kleio13]

This happens a lot. From innocence to suffering

[Ruairidh]

*gallery - my mistake! Apologies...

[Ruairidh]

'She...became a galley of changing faces' is a wonderful way to describe the changes witnessed by the narrator of this poem. I like the subject matter a lot and it has a good rhythm. I'm an honest reviewer though: 'she always once claimed' doesn't make sense. And 'The last time I seen her' makes sense, but the grammar's wrong. Having said that, there's no doubt that you have that rare thing - an original poetic voice. Keep hold of it, and keep on writing. I look forward to reading more of your work. All the best

[Shane Hogan Poetry]

Noted! Thank you for the comment, I know it must have taken some time!