Monday, March 4, 2013

Susie's Prompt

I have had internet issues again. See, I live in the sticks, near farm land and a swamp.  I feel fortunate when the internet works, but when it does not-I turn into a ugly, warty toad.

No, I think our ISP is making service repairs...I wish for upgrades.  Susie asked us to write a poem about the abuse of Women. Yes, today WE SCREAM!   March has been set aside by Woman Scream International Poetry Festival,  to raise awareness through poetry about violence against women.

Their mission is to honor women and create a conscious calling against women’s violence.  I found this a difficult write.  I can  say, I have not been  physically abused, but emotional-I do have some tangled memories.  It isn't my family, but another one that I have seen and felt the disconnect.  Toxic people take many forms~





Close knit family
clotted with DNA's gelatinous webs
tangled hope spindles

Black mold breathes
darkness breeds dismal swamp
toxins take hold

green spikes suffocate
blue gray mist inward crawls
must rotate crops

a difficult journey
heart shaped swords slash tongues
one trembles forever

glory is flooded
 behemoth river opens caution's door
waiting saturated barbs

Fenced chain metal
one crawls around armored dreams
spins glossy silk

Climbing on edge
naked and wet, you re-emerge
escape pinched pot

Folded prayers cast
answered in pressed floral memories
Freedom's price endures

© Ellen Wilson





30 comments:

  1. Adore: "pinched pot"

    "gelatinous web" sounds like a fun science project. :p

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    1. Thank you! I was thinking more like toxic mold, but I prefer your view~ :D

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    1. I fear it might feel that way~
      I know sad...

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  3. "Fenced chain metal
    one crawls around armored dreams
    spins glossy silk"

    But emerges naked, if at all . . . Yes, freedom has it's price, and the price is always high though we head toward it anyway, as we must!

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    1. I agree we must! When the mind and heart are imprisoned, we can't grow~ It is so worth it-I agree :D

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  4. A strong write here, Ella. That last stanza is my favorite; and yes, for sure, toxic people take many forms!

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    1. Thank you Mary! :D It is a scary world, sometime~

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  5. Really great use of color and texture Ella...are you some sort of visual artist or sumthin? :-P NIce work!

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    1. lol, Thank you! YOU are cute-yeah, something like that~ :D

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  6. Freedom comes with a high price, but we must work toward it. The beginning of it really got me. It seems so many families continue with abuse generation after generation. Thanks for taking part and sharing such a powerful piece!

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    1. Yes, this worries me-the genetic link, or the environmental aspects, or maybe both?! Let's fight for freedom-it is so worth it~ I do think mental illness is the biggest factor~
      Thanks Susie
      (((hugs)))

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  7. a difficult journey
    heart shaped swords slash tongues
    one trembles forever

    Been through trying times. Harsh words coming one's way can be very traumatic. Nicely Ella!

    Hank

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    1. Hi Hank-I know it from an adult view, not a child's. I have toxic in-laws~
      Thank you

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  8. Your approach to this prompt is outstanding, Ellen. I love the abstract and figurative meaning with which you have infused each tercet. I felt that every stanza had something unique for the reader.

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    1. Thank you Kerry! I really tried to show different forms of toxic~ :D

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  9. Lots of specific detail in this--good response to the prompt. Many forms of toxic indeed.

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  10. This is wonderful. It's certainly haunting despite the metaphorical nature of your images.

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    1. Thank you-it kind of has that creepy mold vibe!

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  11. Wow, Ella, this is powerful.
    Progress is slow in the field of violence toward women. I remember when spousal rape became illegal in Canada. In the 1980s. Imagine! It should have been illegal in the 1880s.
    But progress, though slow, is still progress.
    K

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    1. Hi Kay..
      whoa..that is insane! It is crazy how the world is so fast in many ways and slow when it comes to humanity!
      Thanks for sharing~

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  12. Hi, Ella... powerful poem... I love the positive ending.

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    1. Hi Laurie
      Yes I went dark-thank you!
      Freedom of any kind is never easy~
      Thank you

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  13. Eek! Your poem is so dark, tangled -- and lovely at the same time. You really have a gift.
    And if the net problems turn you into a toad, at least you're close enough to the swamp that you can hop over and play with the other toads! :-D

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  14. Each stanza could hold its own really. I liked the last stanza ... folded prayers.

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  15. I especially admire the "heart-shaped swords" and how "one trembles forever". Legacies of generational pain. Well done, kiddo.

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  16. happy to see ur blog..beautiful writing..GOD<3U

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  17. Hi Ella! Nice to see you, and your poetry. I love that phrase "heart-shaped swords" absolutely brilliant! Hope that that internet stays up for you. Look forward to reading more poems :-)

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  18. The complexity of each stanza requires and educative understanding before the whole poem lets out its secret

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  19. Wonderful writing!
    Glad to know your blog.
    I love the fourth stanza.Quite meaningful.
    Thanks for your comment in my blog and thanks for being a follower.
    I sincerely appreciate.

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