It began with that,
A sullen mantra that chased her
Home through darkened streets,
Slipping catlike past her feet
And into her apartment where it
Joined her as she lay in her small bed
And stared for endless hours at the ceiling.
Sometimes things end.
Sometimes they change,
And realistically she knew
That changes can be good
But not this change,
Not this one,
Not right now.
Perhaps tomorrow she would wake
Refreshed and ready to confront
The strange new patterns of
An irrevocably altered world.
But who could blame her if tonight
It was all that she could do
To keep on breathing, keep on
Pressing her numb fingers to her chest,
Searching for the comfort of
At least one constant, after all,
At least one rhythm that would carry on.
-~-~-~-~
Three Word Wednesday prompt: apartment, began, numb
wow.. that is desperations isn’t it.. when you come to realize the only thing you can rely on is the beating of your own heart… i cant even concentrate on the ramifications of that right this moment… wow…..
I’m trying and failing to imagine looking at my heart beat for comfort as I get panic attacks and I hear my heart beating too fast
But I like the idea…
The first stanza, and the final image are masterful. I think you could tighten a bit in the middle, but I really like this. As paisley said, it has a desperation to it. We don’t need to know what ended; we feel what she feels.
looking for the consant, especially when things cherished end. Oh yes, I’ve been there; 1st when I was twelve, 2nd at 16.
The constant for me became: “Never again”. Much the sorrier I’ve been too.
rel
Poignant piece – the emotions are well written and surely felt by the reader. Nicely done!
I agree with Tumblewords. You convey the emotions very well.
You can find my entry here: The Fire
Have a great day!
But who could blame her if tonight
It was all that she could do
To keep on breathing, keep on
Pressing her numb fingers to her chest,
Searching for the comfort of
At least one constant
Loved that part. I could feel her pain and desperation.
There is a big difference in knowing that sometimes things end… and actually getting through that end.
That was lovely, great use of the words as well – I personally couldn’t come up with anything this week! I especially love the first stanza.
WOW! Simply amazing poem. I’ve so been there and felt that way before. Great work!
Spectacularly good, really, I was breathless reading.
You can really feel the movement early in the piece and the exhaustion later on.
the first thru the last line is a beautiful moving poem… loved the way you started with the sullen mantra chasing her all the way to the soothing one constant/one rhythm… just a little note…b/c thrz another gal named littlewing in the poetry blog community im changing my name from littlewing to onemorebeliever…tho my blogname wont change
Very well written. Grief and shock, mere survival, just trying to make sense of things, just trying to hang on. You really wrote a superb poem here!