This picture is entitled "Chalk Tears" and it was created specifically for the verse below.
Chalk Marks on a Dead Soul
A prettiness mummified by years of chalk dust.
--Richard Eder
We would take turns
counting our sins
in chalk tally marks
on the alley wall
beside her church.
It evolved into a game that would last
from cloudburst to cloudburst.
(The goal was to see
who could amass the most sins
to be washed away by God.)
So when they lift
the fingerprints
from the bruises
found on her dead soul,
it is no surprise
they are mine.
The hunt leads them
to the alley by her church
Where I kneel
with rivulets of tears
streaking my chalk-covered cheeks,
praying for rain.
3 comments:
(The goal was to see
who could amass the most sins
to be washed away by God.)
I'd win this one. Because only the good die young. It's a startling scene, two beings probing the recesses of their souls just to see who would win.
You never fail to astound me with how you nonchalantly wrap rawness around your poems. It obliterates my sense of balance with a sophistication that slips and stays inside the cracks of my mind every single time. My favorite one yet...
Where I kneel
with rivulets of tears
streaking my chalk-covered cheeks,
praying for rain.
Ending on a tone of remorse, eh? ^_^
As always, I applaud the imagery of your poetry.
i clicked a link on extraplanar's blog and it led me to your wonderful site.
i love this poem. it makes me close my eyes and yearn to be able to carve its words into my soul.
you have an amazing talent and i hope you will allow me to continue reading the entries in your blog.
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