Tuesday, March 26, 2013

To Thine Own


Public domain image



Like a rebel’s note
come Sunday
I chanted my mal arranged vow,
as expected of a good girl like me.

But I had to sing true
in my Salishan earthed heart, vesicles bursting,
knowing it would thrive again
if for now, manacled, 3 quarters dead,
to some other maid’s dream.



Copyright © 2013 Jennifer Wagner


Hopping on board the dVerse OpenLinkNight train!
 

22 comments:

Margaret said...

freedom! Nothing captures that better than a horse running, unfenced! Sing true. Break free of those manacles... !

Brian Miller said...

nice...interesting...the difference between the vow as a good girl, and what really lies in our hearts....and in the end if we can not be true to ourselves who can we be true to?

ayala said...

Jen, a nice write!

Audrey Howitt aka Divalounger said...

Really a wonderful write--I love your work Jennifer

Anonymous said...

Suh release in this!

Misky said...

I so enjoyed reading this poem. Thank you!

Mary said...

Love the images you evoked in this poem, Jennifer. You manage to work so much into these two strong stanzas.

Janet Martin said...

Sometimes one is so completely mesmerized, and so completely unqualified to say anything but...wow! this is one of those moments:)

Lisa A. Williams said...

To be true to ourselves, something we all long for. Beautiful poem!

Claudia said...

i think it's so important that we are who we are...everything else will wear us down in the long haul.. love the pic...just shouts freedom

Nilanjana Bose said...

having to sing true it's a compulsion not a choice... powerful image here, really liked the lines

vesicles bursting,
knowing it would thrive again
if for now, manacled, 3 quarters dead,
to some other maid’s dream.

Anonymous said...

Be yourself, because you can't be anyone else. But bear in mind, we can only truly be ourselves in relationships where we are accepting and accepted, warts and all.

Ray Sharp said...

the secret truth of the heart. i love this

joanna said...

i needed to read this today, to hear these words about being true to one's heart. thank you.

Wolfsrosebud said...

ah... change for the good a hard thing

Laura said...

I feel deep freedom in both your photo and poem...beautiful.

Anonymous said...

To thine own self be true is perhaps one of the most powerful statements in our language. I felt like this was the resistance I sometimes feel in "reciting" words of belief at Church that I can't quite ascribe to.

Anonymous said...

Such an interesting poem - one feels that there is something very different in speaking and singing. Thanks. k.

Anonymous said...

This feels heavy with expectation and duty. I know these things. Good for you, for living your truth.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I felt a sense of cathartic-ism reading this...

Linda Rogers said...

Your poem makes a powerful statement~Love the title, photo and the words. Great job.

Anonymous said...

Love the feeling of freedom and rebellion