Today’s prompt was inspired by “Jackson” – a newcomer to Poetic Bloomings, and dear friend of Marie Elena’s, whose harrowing week led to feeling betrayed by her own body. Thankfully, a looming malignancy was discovered to be benign.
There are times in every life where things happen that defy logic or go contrary to our sensibilities. There are unexpected events and then there are betrayals. We can be betrayed in many ways: friends turning against each other, a renege of a promise, an untimely discovery, the betrayal perpetrated upon portions of our society, or by blood cells/illnesses upon our bodies.
Write a poem that delves into some kind of betrayal.
MARIE ELENA’S POEM:
A Father’s Love
In a battle for his own life,
Leukemia disassembles his cells,
One by one.
So,
When did counting breaths take precedence
Over counting cells?
When his son’s diseased lungs
Began sucking life
Instead of oxygen.
© Marie Elena Good – 2010
(My apologies for posting an older poem – written in November of 2010. It is about my Uncle Jim and his son “Punk,” who passed from this life to the next within ten weeks of each other. I simply could not have admired them more.)
WALT BETRAYED:
POKER FACE
Cards once held close to the vest
are now worn on my sleeve,
leaving no doubt that life is a fragile game.
Gone are the days of invincibility;
your stamina and agility have seen better days.
You’d be crazy not to play the cards dealt
if you felt you had a winning hand.
But as you stand, others close to your chest
cuddle in before the end of days; not ready
to lose a friend, a lover, a side-kick;
not going to surrender the life of a wife
Sick of losing to this destructive joker so badly;
my poker face remains, sadly. And still no answer
to this ravenous cancer. Just glad to say,
you’re not cashing in your chips today.
© Walter J. Wojtanik – 2012
Many of your responses spoke to my heart, or filled my head with fabulous imagery. Yet, one little 8-word, easy-to miss piece overflowed with truth and sentiment. My Beautiful Bloom goes to Michelle Hed’s little gem.
