The Girl In The Purple Sweater
The girl
sat drooping,
dressed purple-pink
as the wall of a liver
in the sun, ciphered eyes
weeping black seeds
into the frozen.
Each one
grew a pointing finger,
wiggling-white,
worm-curving,
worm-curving,
denying
forgiveness
for dark matter
shadowed
forgiveness
for dark matter
shadowed
on silver plate,
for snowy eye or yellow bone,
for snowy eye or yellow bone,
or crab within that crawls
from home to home.
~August, 2014
55 bad seeds from the children of dreams
for
where the incomparable Fireblossom (Shay's Word Garden)
once again hosts the monthly 55-fest
Images:Portrait of Mademoiselle Jeanne Roberte de Domecy, by Odilon Redon
Study of Crabs, by Leonardo DaVinci
Public domain via wikiart.org
If this child was born in your dreams, you have brought her out of the dark realms for all to see, and found the perfect portrait to accompany the one you have painted with words.
ReplyDeleteWonderful--awful-- poem. Great internal rhymes. I especially like frozen and within, and the authority of the voice is very strong and compelling. We believe in the fantastical because the narrator conveys it with such strength. K.
ReplyDeleteVery strong and solemn portrait - the shadowed silver plate and the denying of forgiveness - compelling story in just 55 words - wonderful - K
ReplyDeleteyikes...this is a bit of a scary one hedge....the tear seeds growing pointing fingers especially...ugh...for that gives them reason....relating her color to the wall of a liver as well...sets the edge early.
ReplyDeleteEeeee yahhhhhhhh. Creepy, and magnificent. I love your extremely clever placement of "liver" so that it could be the organ (double yeeesh!) or one who lives (in the sun). The whole thing is worded so precisely, moving back and forth like the sprouted fingers between the macabre and the weirdly ornate (like the silver plate). It is, however, you master stroke of the crab at the end that lifts this into there-goes-that-bar-again territory. Curse you, Hedgewitch! I look crappy with no hair!
ReplyDelete*your* master stroke. Fumblefingers strikes again.
DeleteWith such sadness in a little girl she must have big burdens on her tiny shoulders.. When even tears are hard.. And forgiveness is denied .. The story that's not told grow inside..
ReplyDeleteThe fingers hint of abuse. Very sad poem, eloquently written - the inner crab that crawls from home to home is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteWhat sorrow... Usually tears are cleansing, but hers are not just mean but accusatory. Poor purple girl... May her seeds flower into something new and happy... soon.
ReplyDeleteWow...I love the fragmentary pieces that while separate are very much connected. Vivid and I love the way that yellow bone pops out, for me. Nicely captured, Hedge. :)
ReplyDeleteEeewww, Hedgewitch, what s scary child. 55Xcreepy! I am reminded of these wiggle-wormy things we buy for the Fourth of July that, once lit, froth up and crawl around, leaving purplish-black trails. I cannot help myself, I love 'em!
ReplyDeleteSnakes. I have never been a fireworks fan, Lydia, but when i was little i did love snakes. (not the crawly kind...the fireworks kind!)
DeleteA perfect poem for the haunted expression on the girl's face. I don't see her as scary, I see her as sad and lost, possibly a danger to herself, but not to anyone else. Maybe I see it because I was that girl.
ReplyDeletehttp://encyclopedianetherworld.blogspot.com/2014/08/k-is-for-kids.html
Cancer baby crab women like me have got to stop confusing our side-stepping nature with open and accusing wounds, stop feeding the pointed fingers and worms,and stop eating them too. Got me.
ReplyDeleteThis is some serious creepy, Hedge!
ReplyDeleteumm that was dark.. a little scary ... really cool tho... :)
ReplyDeleteIt was the "ciphered eyes" that got me first, and the "denying forgiveness" takes it from creepy to tragic.
ReplyDeleteDisturbing, tragic imagery weaving a nightmarish tapestry. Grabbed my attention quickly.
ReplyDeleteand yes I'm reading this just before bed, where those creepy crawlies will ooze out. thanks ;) ~
ReplyDeleteJust think ... how long the girl had to sit still for the artist to do this pic ... no wonder she looks like she is falling asleep ...
ReplyDeletegah, i think i'd like to avoid that pointing finger!
ReplyDeleteThis gave me the shivers, especially because we have a neighbor who resembled that picture when she was little!
ReplyDelete… it doesn't leave me feeling happy! I don't really understand it, but after the third read, I'm convinced it would make a great horror film.
ReplyDeleteI love this poem.
ReplyDelete