Ode to Abstract Nouns

For Taylor H. Thanks!

This writing is based on a prompt by Taylor H. And so, I dedicate it to you, Taylor! Here was the assignment: I want you to write something that can't be written like...an abstract idea...describe it....or try to write about something that no one has written about before...like where do your words go when you talk on a phone???

　

"Abstraction is the process or result of generalization by reducing the information content of a concept or an observable phenomenon, typically to retain only information which is relevant for a particular purpose. For example, abstracting a leather soccer ball to the more general idea of a ball retains only the information on general ball attributes and behaviour, eliminating the characteristics of that particular ball."

Ode to Abstract Nouns (And the People who Exemplify Them)

Erin L George

 

Bravery is the mother who lays her child in the arms of another

because she knows she can't give it everything the world has to offer.

She carries food stamps in her wallet, in place of baby photos.

 

Passion's the ache in the base of her belly after her lover's driven away

with no plans for return (or if he shall at all).

She hasn't told him she carries a peice of him - she's not yet showing.

 

Loyalty is the woman who "stands by her man" entirely aware he's confessed longings in the arms of a stranger at Heartbreak Hotel.

 

Fortitude's the strength she carries in her shoulders, wondering how she'll put food on the table - knowing the food stamps are about to run out.

Her babies are open-mouthed. And she keeps one eye on the door, scooping bills from the register.

 

Empathy is the man in the suit and tie who stops to offer a five to the courthouse bum full-well knowing he's planning to buy a quart, a pint, a something - just to forget his plight.

 

Sadness is cherry ink, smudged on a page not meant for the eyes of others and written by the girl bullied each day - wondering if she'll have the guts to go back to school or if she's better off learning from home.

 

Determination, though, is the culmination of them all:

 

Her baby has a wonderful home, nursery bursting pink bubbles.

 

Promises of a lover, lost somewhere just past his lips, she rubs her stomach

singing a lullaby each night - shopping for blue sky gingham.

 

She stood by her man as long as it took to get the children to college

now, she runs a wedding boutique, on the corner of Main and Ninth.

 

A jail cell is home, but the children are fed, and she writes them letters

(they still call her Momma).

 

She walks by the man on the courthouse steps, winking at him, as the man in the suit pleads for her honor.

 

The girl? Well, since graduating Suma Cum Laude, she writes of them. No tears smudge the page now. There's only: Determination. Passion. Loyalty. Empathy. Fortitude. Sadness. Bravery. Abstract nouns.

Author's Note

Ignore spelling...just having fun tonight trying to stay distacted. (First shot at a prose poem)

Reviews

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cleverly done, with several REALLY good lines...I appreciate the way you chose to summarize, giving the NOUNS a sense of purpose...it became a writing then, to me

quite good

Peace, R
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