Sweet Painted Ladies:
beautiful portraits of lives
trapped in pain.
Umbilically attached
to chrysalides of crystal tears,
they never leave their tomb.
With wings that never spread to fly,
their colours bleed,
then rust and dry.
Fleeting shadows and elusive
creatures of a long-term night,
they always wear their make-up smudged,
have holes and ladders in their tights.
Sweet Painted Ladies only yearn
to live a life they've never learned.
Love is, for them, a dirty word:
a soiled service for sale or rent.
Butterflies melting in the rain,
others' pleasure their hard-earned gain.
Many are their daughters
living foetally suspended
in burning drops of unshed tears:
those withheld pools
which parch the land
reflected in their mother's eyes.
Dry seeds of bitter fruit;
dead husks of damaged wings;
their womb-like existence,
a perpetual still-birth,
is salt instead of sweet.
I am bowled over by all your comments - thanks you guys!! When I posted this late last night, I was aware that I had not got the balance right. It's fascinating how you've all read it. It is actually a portrait of a mother-daughter relationship where the child has grown up only knowing of the pain in love that the mother has faithfully endured, owing to the father being a victim of mental illness. The "Sweet Painted Ladies" image was meant to come across as that of a butterfly metaphor, but guess I kinda overshot on the analogy with the harsh-love lifestyle of "Ladies of the Night". Anyhow, I had hoped that a tone of compassion would prevail, rather than any sort of judgement or criticism, so, if I failed in that, I am sorry to have caused pain or offence in any way... a risk that we often take! Sorry, Sandie! LOL Kate xx PS This is a "sequel" to my narrative poem "Sick Scent".
I hear city sounds, Rain and voices vomiting vile language, high heels walking on hard dirty concrete and a heart breaking. This is vivid and beautiful and sad.
you have skillfully portrayed the pyschological and social cpntours of sweet painted ladies ... as a poet you have not judged their state of being but have expounded it to perfection ...
Hiya
I had to look up 2 words here.....
foetally.....(fetal) which I thought was a typo
and
chrysalides.......I thought it was pupa related but had to make sure.....
now that I had that info behind me, I could reread........
(feel like I am in a socialogy/english class Ms Burnside lol)
This is so sad, and graceful, and transcendant in a manner as well.
Not saying there is a positive aspect to this, but just seeing how it bridges potential generations......(I am thinking an aboration statement here?)
This has so many layers, I don't know maybe its me, a bit dense, everyone else seemed to have come to terms with this write at first glance, while I am chipping away........
Can you stand me??? lol
pax A
Reviewed by Lady Peg (Reader)
Reviewed on November 7, 2004
beautiful poem so moving Kate!
Reviewed by Anna Marie Fritz (Reader)
Reviewed on November 7, 2004
A powerful piece of analyzing here, Kate girl.
"Butterflies...melting in the rain." Superb!
It's a sad life you have painted here of those ladies in the street. Well...I wouldn't say that all of them don't know about what true love is...that is an overstatement, of course.
One cannot judge others merely by one's perception. Who are we to judge others so degradingly? These are people who have souls too.
Well, of course, I'm NOT one of them...but just to state the facts that these are people too and we should NEVER JUDGE somebody we don't know and what we are not too harshly.
You paint a vivid piture of the victorian minded woman with puritan ideals foisted upon them. Surpisingly even today there are those who feel this due to a society that never adjusted to what sexuality is all about. Today we have a generation that has absolutely no idea what sexual relationsips truly mean, and their are enough seniors who still have the standards hard to overcome, that sex is an unmentionable , quite a dichootomy ;-) Superb poem thought provoking as are all your writes!
this is breathtaking and hypnotic in its beauty--and haunting emotions.
"sweet painted ladies only yearn
to live a life they've never learned
love is, for them, a dirty word
a soiled serveice for sale or rent.
butterflies melting in the rain
others' pleasure their hard earned gain...." <------WOW strongly felt this stanza
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Tis' balanced 'write' poetic lady - a superbly penned poem that flows like the mightiest of rivers - sensational!!
Robert
I had to look up 2 words here.....
foetally.....(fetal) which I thought was a typo
and
chrysalides.......I thought it was pupa related but had to make sure.....
now that I had that info behind me, I could reread........
(feel like I am in a socialogy/english class Ms Burnside lol)
This is so sad, and graceful, and transcendant in a manner as well.
Not saying there is a positive aspect to this, but just seeing how it bridges potential generations......(I am thinking an aboration statement here?)
This has so many layers, I don't know maybe its me, a bit dense, everyone else seemed to have come to terms with this write at first glance, while I am chipping away........
Can you stand me??? lol
pax A
"Butterflies...melting in the rain." Superb!
One cannot judge others merely by one's perception. Who are we to judge others so degradingly? These are people who have souls too.
Well, of course, I'm NOT one of them...but just to state the facts that these are people too and we should NEVER JUDGE somebody we don't know and what we are not too harshly.
Just my 2 cents opinion on this.
Sandie May Angel :o)
Ron
this is breathtaking and hypnotic in its beauty--and haunting emotions.
"sweet painted ladies only yearn
to live a life they've never learned
love is, for them, a dirty word
a soiled serveice for sale or rent.
butterflies melting in the rain
others' pleasure their hard earned gain...." <------WOW strongly felt this stanza
BRAVA, poet extraordinaire!
(((HUGS))) and love, an admirer, karla. :)