Portrait Of A Child On Her Fifth Birthday
July 24, 2010
by Missy
|4 Comments
The following poem was written by Missy Egan Wey and is published in The Westchester Review, 2010: Volume 4)
Shafts of autumn sunlight
illuminate her face
matted on velvet,
in a frame brushed by gold.
Wheat-colored hair, drawn
smooth across her forehead,
encircles her ears,
brushes the nape of her slender neck.
Her gray eyes look away,
smudged sockets,
thumbprints of ash.
I remember the white smocked dress
blue stitching, drawn snug
across my chest, high collar
fastened by a pin made of pearls.
Starched puffed sleeves
hid my shoulders that day,
bruised by the boy next door;
the stench of sawdust on his hands.
Coils of insulation
muffle screams of a child
left behind, in a deserted attic.
Thank you for being so brave to share this with us Missy!
thank you Missy for finding these words.
Poignant, thought-provoking and disturbing. You must have great resources within you to be able to transform this kind of horror into a poetic gem.
Thank you for your feedback and comments, which are much appreciated!
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