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Umbilical Apathy
by Rachelle Howethere is a certain
chill
to callused, cruel fingertips
which gradually have become
accustomed to the luxury of smooth skin.
cringing, the heroin(e) cowers from
a touch that's more explicitly foreign
than some randomly made up language.
there was something
vacant
in eyes chiseled out of chilled, beguiling anger
and marble-plated self loathing.
the scene is set:
she, on the floor of her stomach,
and he, the one holding the yanked
umbilical cord.
the question on the minds of
her family, her friends
(even she, at the hour
of her death...):
how does one recover
once they have become bonded
to one they used to call 'lover,' only
to have that man be devoured
by a stranger?
they could have been twins,
had it not been for one telltale sign;
one detail that blared in the memory
of that broken girl,
the only thing that separated the
animal from the man:
a muffled, muted heartbeat,
lying dormant in a tomb of bone.
01/10/2001 Author's Note: Written originally as a topic piece back in 2001. After a little revamping, here it is. I don't quite know what I think yet. Would this be considered explicit?
Posted on 02/13/2007
Copyright © 2024 Rachelle Howe
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Lauren Singer on 02/13/07 at 08:50 AM "laying dormant in a tomb of bone". holy shizz woman, what a killer ending. i dont think its explicit necessarily, but then again i'm a bad judge. |
| Posted by Gabriel Ricard on 02/13/07 at 03:13 PM Nah. Kick ass work. |
| Posted by Kristine Briese on 02/14/07 at 08:34 PM I love the conflicting images here. The only change I might suggest is to replace laying with lying. Not sure why; just like the flow a little better.
And no, I wouldn't call it explicit. |
| Posted by Michelle Angelini on 02/15/07 at 05:55 AM Incredible, because of its overwhelming sadness, and it could be explicit only in the understanding of what you've written here. S4 is the telling one, because it is the explanation (I feel) for what's happening. I didn't see the original, but I like the word economy here.
~Chelle~ |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 02/16/07 at 04:07 PM A very strong, well crafted poem. The imagery is totally gripping and intensely sad. |
| Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 02/16/07 at 07:11 PM I'm not usually big on topical or challenge poetry because it doesn't come from genuine inspiration, however you've managed to come up with with some highly evocative lines and images here Rachelle; all throughout, but I especially like the impact of the closing stanza. Kudos! |
| Posted by Laura Doom on 02/17/07 at 05:55 PM Your stuff is always explicit, but I don't see it falling into the 'tagging' abyss.
What assualted me here was the interplay between the theory - bonding, family, intimacy - and the practice - anger, apathy, the clinical...the proximity of extremes.
And finally, I feel compelled to mumble something uniquely banal. No, it's either beyond me, or I've already been there :) |
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