Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Ghosts

The bees buzzing through thick air,
the calls of church bells rising with morning,

and the vacant streets filling with sound from
cars, trucks, and barking dogs,
bring the humming of sleeping ghosts awakening;
time won’t stand still under my head,
and the weight of melancholia sets its home
on my sleepy shoulders, heavier than boulders,
digging into the skin under my neck.

Then, I start my daily cries to God
to save me from this vile despair,
born of nothing and everything.
But, when even his voice can not excise the ghosts
nesting on my eyelids, I paint my tears
on the artificial sky, below the burning moon
and above the burgeoning ache expanding like
my elastic heart, into clouds of black smoke.


Helena Malheur © 2010

13 comments:

  1. nice. great imagery...sitting on your eyelids...elastic heart...i am aching now myself...nice one shot!

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  2. Sorrowful and agonizing... a powerful One Shot!

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  3. Wow-that's heartbreak - vile despair - even his voice - excellent writing. Thanks for sharing, Gay @beachanny

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  4. Thanks for joining us at One shot

    seems like a bleak day for the speaker in this poem - what a great write

    We would love to invite you to submit to our competition. Unfortunately it ends this Friday.
    Theme:Through a Childs Eyes

    Moon Smiles

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  5. Despair vividly picturised.. I liked your verse.. thanks for sharing...

    ॐ नमः शिवाय
    Om Namah Shivaya
    Twitter: @VerseEveryDay
    Blog: http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com/

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  6. Thank you very much for the comment :)

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  7. Amazing imagery so creatively expressed, just love it :) Hugs x

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  8. Thank you! I'm humbled by such wonderful comments from talented writers like you. :)

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  9. wanted to stop by again and thank you for stopping by One Shot this week. It is because of poets like you that we have such inspiring words to read. Please feel welcome any Wednesday

    Moon greetings for the One Stop Team

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  10. Moondustwriter,
    Thank you for the welcome message. I feel privileged to be invited to participate among the clever poets/writers who are a part of your group. Thank you for having a website that promotes and encourages people like me… it’s a wonderful outlet that allows us to get feedback and grow as writers.

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  11. The first stanza is stunning. The rest of the poem is good, too, but that first stanza, wow.

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I welcome constructive critisism; I am not fragile so go for it -- tell me what you really think!