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International
District, Seattle WA
Photo © 2013 Jennifer
Wagner
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Afterward
she felt just like
the used condom,
discarded
amidst the cigarette
butts
and partially eaten
food.
The
refuse
stacked up,
lining the side
streets
and back streets
of the insides of her,
piling
up
on her chalk outline.
Wasn’t she
what had been done to
her?
But the point of no
return
to what
she
thought of herself
was the road less
traveled,
a cross in the path—
and the journey
upward,
a
process
littered
with the things
she has chosen to
leave behind;
and that has made all
the difference.
© 2013 Jennifer
Wagner
A little bit of a
spin off Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken.
It is very sad if a person thinks that who they are is what has been done to them.....but I am glad to read that the person in this poem instead takes the road less taken and rises up to overcome rather than to succumb!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful… yes it is possible to turn a life around, indeed it is. We all find our own way, and it is so, so possible.
ReplyDeletelove that she didn't let herself being defined by the things that happened and that she found the path to healing... so encouraging...
ReplyDeleteOh this is awesome.. the stark images contrasted with the Frost references... this is a poem I wished I could write..
ReplyDeleteWow! Kick ass good! I love the honest uplift at the end. Big hugs and kiss for you!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous work, the self-discovery, the journey upward. So well conveyed here.
ReplyDeleteSnapping my fingers. Loving this.
ReplyDeleteA bleak portrait at first, but I really like the way things turn around in the last section. Glad she didn't give up,
ReplyDeleteno, she is not...and that choice she made is a powerful one, to leave and find a new trail to follow and be master of her own destiny....strong piece...
ReplyDeletegreat piece... a turn around with a clean slate is always possible...
ReplyDeleteIt's painful to read at first, but the end turns you around, and that is good poetry.
ReplyDeleteThat first stanza is one for the ages. This is a great poem that reminds us not to give up.
ReplyDeleteStark images, but beautiful in that she does find the strength to come back form those dark alleys.
ReplyDeleteGreat and strong piece.
ReplyDeleteI love this spin-off. Way to take the bucolic and drop it in the grit. Multidimensional.
ReplyDeleteWow Jennifer, what a punch of a beginning! Stark powerful images, and then to bring us back to what makes the difference-- well done :-)
ReplyDeleteLoved this - true survival story.
ReplyDeleteIt's hardest to break the mould of who you are is what they did to you..but the nonetheless the best is that she choose to take the path less travelled, with unseen risks and hidden traps..the courage she holds in her breath is what makes her a beautiful person. Just like Robert Frost, you are no less than marvelous. :)
ReplyDeletePoignant piece, well observed - thank you.
ReplyDeleteGritty yet ultimately hopeful, with clever echoes of the original.
ReplyDeleteslap, then a hand up. beautiful, Jennifer ~
ReplyDeleteA soulful, haunting message of hope and strength.
ReplyDeleteThis is an encouraging message/choice following a crude, painful opening. It feels honest and is really well written.
ReplyDeleteDisturbing. The desolate alley sums it all
ReplyDeleteThis does give hope. It is a verse of great imagery.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Wedy: haunting.
ReplyDeleteLovely reminder that anyone can turn their life around. Beautiful poem of strength and the will to survive.
ReplyDeleteAnother good one.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad she chose to leave some things behind.
This wording is particularly poignant to me:
piling up
on her chalk outline.
I just popped over from Keith's Optimistic Existentialist blog.
ReplyDeleteLove the photo and what poems I've read..
Rick, your latest follower.
Wow, this is powerful and driven to remind us we are not the outline of our existence! It has a haunting quality-which I love!
ReplyDeleteWell done!
I hope you n' yours had a lovely holiday~