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After You Left I Pawned Everything
by Meghan HelmichAfter you left I pawned everything
But the notebook of original work -
Couldn't bear to
Destroy your black and white dirges.
Every corner of the apartment was you,
Faded posters and a broken mic stand.
Gathered clothes left behind still
Had my stomach somersaulting
In desperation.
Just outside the front door was a heart
Knifed into the wall with our cigarettes,
Less and less visible after each rain.
Maybe I'm a liar but really, you
Never stopped being tender,
Owning that look on your face with a
Promise to see me again.
Quietly the minutes became months.
Rented a new place, swearing I was all but
Sour and tacked together.
Then I took that notebook out.
Under my photo albums and records
Victimless words were sitting so softly.
With undying failthfulness I thought of
Xeroxing this final memory, but instead
Your careful dedication was placed in a
Ziplock trash bag. 08/26/2011 Posted on 08/26/2011
Copyright © 2024 Meghan Helmich
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Mo Couts on 08/26/11 at 02:59 PM I always love a good abcedarian and I love the way you presented this one. Paired with the emotion behind it, this was a total win. |
| Posted by Gabriel Ricard on 08/26/11 at 05:46 PM Absolutely brilliant. The style is perfectly constructed, and the depth and range of the language is considerable. |
| Posted by Steven Kenworthy on 08/31/11 at 12:54 AM i love the gritty visceral finish...kinda like a door slamming and falling off the hinges when a simple shutting would have sufficed. this is meaty and i like it. feels like a bite of liver when the sense of smell is down and all you get is chewy sand. well done M.H. :) |
| Posted by Joan Serratelli on 08/31/11 at 12:39 PM There are no words that I could write that would do this piece justice. It's incredible. Honest, raw and emotional. All and all, quite brilliant. |
| Posted by Ken Harnisch on 09/01/11 at 06:43 AM Stunningly wrought...emotion throughout the whole poem that wrenched me into a second, quieter re-read. And I was just as astounded. Love, love that last stanza! |
| Posted by Ava Blu on 09/02/11 at 09:07 AM I've never tried this style; it always seemed too difficult. This is wonderful. You made it look easy! (And I know it so totally is not.) |
| Posted by Jennifer Truesdale on 09/02/11 at 11:50 PM I am in love with this poem. the emotion, i can't even describe. this is a great write and i totally agree with Gabriel, the style is constructed without a fault. |
| Posted by Laura Doom on 10/01/11 at 11:43 AM You have a perfect structure and a penchant for substance -- if poetry kills, this must be an artefact of some happy-ever-afterlife... |
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