Image; A Stern Lady (here)
torn safe spill soothed breath
raspy (hoarse or harsh-sounding)
hiss fairy bluff flush
She was torn between love for
her father and of the harsh treatment
by her fiercely scornful step-mother
She reasoned it was not safe to spill
the beans but to take it and still
remained under one roof even with
one so unreasonable
She used to cry as an infant abandoned
to her wits for which even her father
was unaware and she suffered as
a consequence
She soothed herself with deep long
breaths against raspy admonitions
or whispers hissed in her face
She was not to smite back against
outright bluffs nor act vindictive but
to flush off the feelings of sadness
and muster blessings of good upbringing
Dreams of a fairy-tale childhood of
songs and dance with step-sisters was
only reminiscent of Cinderella's woes
She had hopes of a reformed step-mother
to love and be loved like one of her own.
Feelings of despair were toned down and
She reasoned it was not safe to spill
the beans but to take it and still
remained under one roof even with
one so unreasonable
She used to cry as an infant abandoned
to her wits for which even her father
was unaware and she suffered as
a consequence
She soothed herself with deep long
breaths against raspy admonitions
or whispers hissed in her face
She was not to smite back against
outright bluffs nor act vindictive but
to flush off the feelings of sadness
and muster blessings of good upbringing
Dreams of a fairy-tale childhood of
songs and dance with step-sisters was
only reminiscent of Cinderella's woes
She had hopes of a reformed step-mother
to love and be loved like one of her own.
Feelings of despair were toned down and
kept at bay most times
Prompt's Quotation
"Life is pain, Highness"
Anyone who says differently is selling something
Magaly's at PSU - Friday Writings #226: Inappropriate Laughter
Not certain of the poem's appropriateness to the prompt
Not easy to have a good relationship with a step-mother.... but it is probably hard to have a step-child as well
ReplyDeleteI said something along those lines to my psychiatrist once (after I had a nervous breakdown in my twenties, caused partly by the experience of having an abusive stepmother). He replied, 'You were a girl of 15 and she was a woman in her fifties.'
DeleteI must wonder how many have experienced what you so caringly describe in your poetry? Scars that can and often do, last a lifetime. Well done, my friend.
ReplyDeleteYes, Hank, your empathy is lovely.
DeleteThe poem doesn't have to be appropriate to the prompt; our prompts at P&SU are always optional. Actually, you've skipped ahead to the prompt for next week, which we told you in advance, but that's OK – you're allowed to do another one for that next week if you like.
ReplyDeleteThis poem means a lot to me. I had an abusive stepmother. Fortunately I only acquired her when I was 15, and after two years I was able to leave home to go to university. Nevertheless, they were two hellish years, and even worse for my little brother who was only 11. But he left with me, to finish his schooling elsewhere, and we went to live with a very kind aunt and uncle. The scars remain, for both of us, but they are not open wounds any more. The thought of having a whole childhood in such circumstances is horrifying!
HUGS!
DeleteThank you Rosemary! You have given a lot to comment such willingly on a subject most don't normally reveal much. You brought it out in the open as you've faced it head on and got it out of your system less the bad feelings. That's the reason you give a balanced approach in your comments that I have seen having it gripped by the horns knowing both the good and the bad. Hank appreciates it very much, Ma'am!
ReplyDeleteHank
A poignant, powerful poem, made even sharper by those brilliantly crafted words: raspy admonitions and “whispers hissed in her face.
ReplyDeleteWow, Hank, this poem is so well done, and describes so well the feelings of a child forced to live in such a dangerous environment, and learn how to survive there. So sad. I hope her later life showered her with the love she so deserved. Thanks for stopping by my blog! Lovely to see you.
ReplyDeleteNice poem-one can close the eyes and dream that such things will never happen to anyone again. But life was never fair...
ReplyDelete