Saturday, September 28, 2013

"You Can Tell Which Girls Lack Mothers By The Look of Their Hair"



( Imaginary Garden With Real Toads Sunday Mini Challenge-
The Secret Life of Bees)

When I looked into the mirror
 I knew she wasn’t there

Lost in some distant place
where sanity, shipwrecked

lie buried in the sand-
Mother’s hallowed sanctuary
where daughters didn’t exist.

Girls-
with boy cropped hair
searching for beauty which wasn’t
there .

Seeking communion-
 
lost little girls
in grass stained jeans

Digging for China
in backyards

Not to be seen
much less heard

in her silent world
where we never tread.

We never reached China
that far off land
on the other side of the world

Still we dug, reaching and reaching….
 

41 comments:

  1. I love this part most:

    Girls-
    with boy cropped hair
    searching for beauty which wasn’t
    there .

    Seeking communion-

    Mothers are important in a girl's life; if not, these lost girls will keep on digging for China or not ~ Lovely work Lisa ~

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  2. I do remember digging for China when I was a child. As an adult, I now wonder....why China?

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    1. I wonder the same thing. Thank you for your comment Mary.

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  3. Wow. Your first three stanza couldn't be more true. Painful. Well written.

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    1. Thank you Hanna. I will be by to visit your blog as soon as I can.

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  4. Yes, I remember digging for China when it was really something else I needed that was equally unattainable. Sad poem.

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  5. Such a beautiful poem and brought such memories...I was one of those girls with boy cropped hair trying to dig to China. I was such a tomboy. My mother told me I was the son my dad never had...such an odd thing to say to a daughter, but I guess I was. Thank you so much for the memories and taking part in the challenge.

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  6. This zinged me in the heart immediately. I saw your poem title on the poets' united blog and was immediately drawn to it. It made me smile at the "digging for china" bit and it made me miss my mum all over again. Bless.

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  7. this is such a wonderful write up.....triggering fond memories......

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  8. A poignant sadness in this beautiful poem. Like a child's version of a quest for Mother Earth.

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  9. "Beauty that ain't there"....... Like some thoughts like though imaginary... At some point, it became real again...

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  10. Amazing poem. Amazing and relatable.

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  11. This says so much about broken relationships. You created a real sense of abandonment in your description, and the idea of an unceasing search for something that will never be found is very moving.

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  12. reminiscent of my own childhood... the lostness, and we too dug for China in our backyard... a poignant write

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  13. You have written of pieces of my own childhood bringing back feeling not always so nice. Beautifully written.

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  14. yes, relatable... you presented this very well.

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  15. Thank you all so much for your comments. I will stop by and visit your blogs as soon as I can.

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  16. I wonder if all children try to dig their way to China. My brother and I used to take turns with the shovel, one digging, one resting. When I finally got to China, it was the 21st century, and we went there by plane.
    I enjoyed your poem very much.
    K

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  17. ....I knew she wasn't there. To not have a mother... this is heartbreaking.

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  18. This is heart-breaking filled with longing and so tormented I can relate very strongly with this one

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    1. Thank you. Sad to think how many young girls had such an experience.

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  19. we dug and dug ourselves in the field hoping to hit china...and in her case i imagine it might be to escape a bit...not much a life being seen and not heard....

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  20. Strong, stinging - and a brilliant, fitting ending.
    I'm able to relate to much of this.

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  21. Lisa,

    I have gained a sadness from reading your words...A lost mother and lost time for love..All those little things which never happened in another time...I too can relate to this poem.

    Eileen

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  22. Very well versed expressive emotions here.
    Motherless has many meanings, mostly sad.

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  23. lovely poem. the pain is almost palpable.
    i liked the use of "digging for China", and the ending is just perfect.

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  24. I felt this one in my heart with the sting of tears in my eyes. So poignant, so good.

    ...and Mary's comment made me chuckle! She's right, why was it always China we tried to dig to?

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    1. Thank you Jennifer. I often wondered the same thing, why China?

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