A Princess Grows Up




on the day you went missing
i washed out socks
watched the grime left by stinging words
swirl away from

these toes that had felt tenderness drift through silty sand
packing in the last of summer's heat
now housed the splinters you left behind

on the day you went missing
i took them off for the last time
a tinge of red on white
near their tops

wrung them out
hung them to dry

toughened my eyes

there were things to do.


copyright/all rights reserved Audrey Howitt 2018

Posted for Poets United

Comments

  1. I can feel this poem, and have lived it. I know that toughening up , as there are things to do. Powerful, Audrey.

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  2. Love this! A stunning close

    'toughened my eyes

    there were things to do'

    that dovetails so beautifully with the title of the piece. Brilliant writing, Audrey - as always.

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  3. This is gut-wrenching really! All one can do sometimes is march onward.

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  4. Doing what must be done can be a great way to get where we need to be. The closing lines are magnificent... and true.

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  5. This one hits the guts - very powerful

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  6. To take leave is a far different thing than to go missing, but the heart is forever the child, the outward mirror. And abandonment is growing the hell up. Fine sharp detail here, making the wash of grief even saltier.

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  7. What a heartbreaking post. It is often difficult to maintain that love and concern for each other whether it be spouse or child. However that period of separation may help for each to unwind and resolve the differences. How beautifully you wrote this piece giving it such colour with your descriptive words.

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  8. There is some pioneer stoicism in this powerful poem...strap it on, hitch it up, and get busy. No time for wallowing, there's work to be done! Loved it!

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  9. Hello, Audrey, for me you created a feeling of loss in your well crafted poem, and to stir any emotion from ones writing is a great achievement.
    on the day you went missing
    i washed out socks
    watched the grime left by stinging words
    swirl away from..............your opening sets the scene of what's to come. with your final lines offering an excellent closure. Thank you for sharing

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  10. Yes, those things to do are our saviours. Brilliantly written.

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  11. Are we taking votes? I prefer the poem, but that doesn't mean that the story doesn't add its own take on details and mood-tone. More intention needed, for instance, in turning deliberately to tasks that are life rafts.

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