Eclipsed

Before women had a voice...

How coldly calculating your allegiances 
Walking tall among men who shrivel in your stride,
Watching your leather-soled foot

brown the path, Panama hat brimming wide.

All that aside, it’s the distance in your amber eyes that stings.
Miles of desert indifferent to the rain,

none so much more though than I can bear,

say a little sack of semblance and some 

much-needed fresh air to ease my pain.

All the same, at four p.m. 

I inhale the vacuous vapors of mint tea and julep.
A nodding peony sipping my drug of choice.
Conversing with such inanity that I bite the insides of my cheeks
Drawing blood and flushing in shame.

He thinks me so genteelly pleased,
All the while my inner voice uses obscenities to replace his name
And roiling inside me a burgeoning hurricane seethes.
Still time will not wane …

At night I face a moon hung in suspended disbelief,
(its knowing sneer convinced I’m to blame).
Therefore I'll spurn all wanings thereof
…including those tender parts destroying me.

Oh and plenty more are arriving.
All looking alike
(the likes of thee!).
Talking to a milt  horizon
Salty as the sea.
And the smell ...
God how it all gets to me!

I’ve sinned before ... it does wonders for those inner whinings
And don’t you know, during my last reverie I found one knee less skinned.
Now I long to ease up upon the other
Knowing full well I’ll never win.

My will became lost through acts of omission.
Then in turn, my self the same ...
Victim to victories won through attrition.
It takes at least two to play this kind of game.

Author's Note

I wrote this with the view of women in a society when men ruled the roost. I am so glad I wasn't born then...would have mad a horrible wife!!!

Reviews

[Rahul]

What an awesome write. 100/100

[felioness]

Why thank you so much! I am delighted!

[p.kuhl]

wow, the fifth stanza in this piece is superb. well, the whole poem is, but those lines really jump out at me. there are great moments in here, one of those poems you need to re-read over and over again because of its lovely complexities. thanks for sharing----!!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this is great...i hate that male mentality and this is a terrific slam on it.

i picture sylvia plath reading this and smiling....she dealt with this all the time, even with her lousy sack of crap husband ted hughes.

i salute this piece of writing and the poet who wrote it.

jacob

[felioness]

Such an honour! Deeply thankful for your kind words!

[ice skater]

Sooooooooooo amazing

[felioness]

Thank you!!!~

[ice skater]

No prob and on your spare time can you read my writing and comment

[felioness]

absolutely

[ice skater]

Thank you

[ice skater]

Thank you

[CS]

You have some really great lines in here, lady. I especially like the overall feeling that this is giving me the vapors. Like I can barely breath in that over tightened corset but my flushed cheeks from lack of oxygen are actually being found as a sign of fertility and therefore, I am wife material. Those were the days!!!! Back when all you needed was a top notch mint julip and a wink with a smile.

"Victims to victories won through attrition"...yep, that pretty much sums it up. Thanks for your voice. I appreciated hearing it. Nice work!

[felioness]

Thank you for your wonderfully expressive review!!!

[CS]

You are very welcome.

[R.M. Duchene]

It's pretty sobering. Society loves to forget the sins of the past, and if not for the arts, they might just succeed. Your line, "My will became lost through acts of omission" pretty much says it all. Thank you for posting :)

[felioness]

thanks so much!