The Drawing Room



Big Room, 1948, by Andrew Wyeth



It was the Sunday room

‘cept Sunday never really came;

 one loveless day blurred into the next...

It was the drawing room,

guests entertained by perfect hosts…

Bottom nanny tapped

“Go in!  Go in,

my little precious one,

they’re waiting!” 

(Mummy what I want most of all

is to be your friend...)

…and I’d go in

hating the feigned affection,

affected for the sake of others,

held close to your chest

I’d feel your bitter cold

as you muttered

empty loving words in longing ears,

mixed messages of frigid mother love.

(Mummy what I want most is to be your friend…)

Life ends, nothing left of you

but dust and bitter memories.  

The room draws me in

and I see you there

hiding in the gloom and shadows

gazing at my photo on the mantel

and I finally understand,

how can those

who have not known love give love,

you reach out for me

from beyond the living

and I feel the warmth within your hand.

Anna :o]

With thanks to Tess at The Mag for this weeks prompt.

The Vendor





Big Issue seller, Oxford, 2006

"Please buy Beeeeg Ishooo"
he pleads

in his dirty postcard rasp

that grates,

irritates so much

that I want to slap him down. 

He grasps at unoffered hand

“Thank you, thank you lay-deee,

you buy Beeeeg Ishooo?”

Can’t he see how he makes me cringe?

Can he not understand that

“No thanks!” means No Thanks

and I know that he is homeless

and I should take a good look at me

and wonder what I am all about

as he shouts, begs, pleads

“Pleeeeze buy Beeeeg Ishooo,

pleeeeze lay-deee!”

But I can’t, I can’t.  

If only he would not beg

in that sleazy voice,

grab hold of me with greasy hands,

stare at me with that pleading face,

can he not understand

he makes my blood boil

as he knowingly invades my space,

takes away my choice of Yes or No

as he pressures for a Yes and only a Yes?

Sorry fella,

know your fighting homelessness

but from me it will always be “No thanks”
and that's just how it will always be.

Anna :o]

Today’s Meeting the Bar at dVerse~ Poets Pub is hosted by Victoria C. Slotto and the theme is ‘Writing Characters.’  Thanks Victoria!

The above is an observation of a street vendor and unfortunately it is true and perhaps it is as telling of me as it is of said street vendor?  I am ashamed of myself for having such an antagonistic opinion of this man which must come across (to him).  I really can’t help it for there is something about his manner that infuriates and I really can’t escape him as his pitch is the entrance to the bus station where I catch my bus…

For those of you outside of the UK selling The Big Issue is a means by which those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless can ease themselves back into the workforce by selling the magazine on a fixed pitch and earn money on each sale.

Please click onto The Big Issue Foundation to learn more of this charity whose mission is: “The Big Issue Foundation is a national charity which connects vendors with the vital support and solutions that enable them to rebuild their lives and journey away from homelessness.”  

Image: courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and the author is Kamyar Adi.  Thanks Kamyar!

(Please note that the vendor in the photograph is not the man that gets on my nerves!)

PS Don't know what happened above (to first two lines) - tried to respace but the blog seems to have a mind of its own...

Strange Comfort

There is a sad strange comfort here

Drowning sorrows in sweet red wine.

We raise our glass and feign good cheer,

Sad little ladies of the vine.

Sad little stories intertwine

As secret longings we confess,

Our secret pain we do consign,

Drinking to drown our loneliness.

Anna :o]

Hah, an end to writers block, thanks to Gemma Wiseman at dVerse~Poets Pub!  Today is Form for All and the form is that of the Huitain.  Gemma writes:

There are those who claim that the huitain is French in origin, and others who are adamant it has Spanish origins. Either way, it was popular in the 15th and early 16th centuries and was often used for epigrams in the 18^th century.  The form evolves around the number eight.

In France, the huitain was closely associated with the ballade which comprised three eight line stanzas, with the last line being a refrain. The ballade was set to music during the 13^th-15^th centuries.  But the huitain dismissed the refrain element and the music.

The original huitain is a single verse, eight line poem with eight syllables per line. The rhyme scheme is:
a
b
a
b
b
c
b
c

Cheers Gemma and also to the wise man who unknowingly was the inspiration for the words of this poem.

Image: courtesy of Wikimedia Creative Commons Red Wine Glass by André Karwath aka Aka