Where Music Stops
She stood in the lee of heavy grief,
as if lashed to a mast on a craggy reef.
Sirens howled in her ear,
and a month lingered to a year.
Swallowed, some say, as she bedded gloom.
Took herself to her darkened room.
Took her heart, and buried it deep,
and then fell into a long cold sleep.
Do we see our loved ones dear,
and does God’s plan become abundantly clear?
No, she said, it’s just a long cold street,
empty of all, but my echoing feet.
for dVerse Poets. A Ballad. Go dark and gloomy. (note: the rhyme constraint went off-piste.) © Misky 2020 Image: WikiArt Head Study for the Masque of Cupid by Burne-Jones 1859
14 responses to “dVerse Gloomy Ballads”
Chilling echoes of despair in grief: very recognizable for those of us who go through it. Beautifully done, Misky!
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Bleak as, but beautifully written as a portrait of grief – (I thought the rhyme was perfectly fine).
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Thanks, Peter.
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Deep and dark in grief. It takes us to places we would have never thought imaginable. You can feel the passage of time, in this piece, as nonexistent since the narrator is living with their grief in their isolation; it doesn’t change, it gets worse while being in the same place. It’s incredibly saddening, but beautiful in the way you captured this. Stunning work!
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I found that end especially sad… not even in death do you find a relief… ending up in Limbo maybe.
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Somber Myski but certainly not untrue. You brought the dark Lucy requested. Written well.
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This is beautifully written, describing the long cold sleep/street . I love : Swallowed, some say, as she bedded gloom.
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Few things are darker than echoing footsteps. Wonderful close to an outstanding poem, M.
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Wow: a heart-aching evocation of depression and despair.
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“as she bedded gloom”
marvelous evocation of grief
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Incredible writing.
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Sadly lost in unrecoverable grief. Dark indeed!
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you’ve conjured a most despairing atmosphere for the poor soul who inhabits it. Well done!
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Oh my aching heart this is poignant! 💝
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