Timeless visions fill amber eyes
Granddad’s mule found in the gulley
Hacked to pieces, jealous neighbor
“Coyotes done it.” No charges.
Arms held fast; thrusts, ugly grunts
Timeless visions fill amber eyes
Stripped, pummeled, defiled, threatened
”They had alibis.” No charges.
Husband dragged away in handcuffs
“She said he broke in and raped her.”
Timeless visions fill amber eyes
Alibi discounted, ten years.
Hatred saturates her being
She used to want to forgive them
Now she waits for retribution
Timeless visions fill amber eyes
Anmol (alias HA) is today’s host of dVerse. Anmol says:
This week, I am exhorting you all to write/create a profile/portrait in your verse. You can go about it in a variety of ways — you can write a descriptive piece about an interesting person you met today or profile a loved one (or perchance someone you don’t like at all) or think of an event involving one or multiple people and write about the things as they transpired with people in the focus or perhaps do a self-portrait. It is open to interpretation but there are certain tools that can enhance a profile/portrait, for instance, rich details, movements, sensory descriptions, quotes, et al. Choose any or all.
image: Alisabeth, Anthony Ryder, Oil on linen on panel, 12×10, 2017 ©
Today’s offering is a quatern form poem.
The part about the mule is a nod to a (non-fictional?) story I read years ago, about two poor farmers, one black and one white, their farms side by side. Things were ok between them until the black farmer was able to buy a mule to help plow. The white farmer grew jealous of the black farmer. One day the mule was found dead. Later they learned that the white farmer had poisoned the mule. I can’t remember the name of the story/essay, but if it is familiar and you know who wrote it, please let me know.
Tao Talk 
This is such a harsh story… to me it tells me of a mind gone sour over how it’s been treated.. so very sad.
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It’s reality for many, Bjorn. I tried to put myself in her place with it, but that is impossible.
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What a sad commentary, still, on our times. You filled this with brutal details and rubbed our noses in it. I am afraid we are still like this.
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Toni, yes, we are still like this. Thank you.
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sigh
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Powerful, gripping, why the world needs poets.
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Thank you, Xan.
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Very strong poem, but I’m a bit confused. Were there two rapes, one by strangers and another by her ex-husband, and was he the one whose mule was killed? Or are they three different examples of violence, the last one finally seeing justice?
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Sorry for the late reply, Judy. Just found your comment in spam folder. The first stanza is her as a child. The second is her as a teenager/young woman. The third is after she got married, and her husband is accused of raping a woman. There were two rapes: 1)her in the second stanza, and 2)another female who accused her husband of being the rapist in the third stanza. She wasn’t believed by the police as her rapists supposedly had alibis. Her husband’s accuser was believed even though her husband had an alibi — that was discounted by police. There is no justice in this poem.
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Thanks, Jade, for the explanation.
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You’re welcome, Judy.
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What the world needs now, love, equity, and poets; couldn’t agree more. We are on the cusp of a second Civil War, WWIII, and the New Crusades. Anger is part of our daily mantle. Good on you for shouting truth to power!
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Thank you, Glenn.
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I like the succinct conclusions to each of the three stanzas summing up the misfortune.
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Thank you, Frank, this form worked well for the portrait.
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Jealousy and fear…not a good combination.
And of course you know I love repetitive forms. (K)
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No they aren’t a good combo. Yes I do 🙂
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Thank you – this sad story needs to be repeated , brought to consciousness, looked in the eye again and again until we finally stop replaying it.
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Very heartfelt response, yes, Christine, it does.
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Wow! you have really gone to the cutting edge of emotions with those amber eyes. Well done Jade!
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Dwight, thank you so much.
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Hard to read, but then that’s the point, yes?
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If you empathize with this person, yes ❤
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I do, indeed.
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Oh you are so good at those forms Lisa but this was was exceptional. Yes we are still like that 😢
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Christine, thank you.
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This is a tragic story, Jade, and so clearly portrayed in short, brutal lines, all seen through amber eyes. No wonder hatred saturates her being – I hope she got retribution.
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Me too. Thank you for your compassion.
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Heart-breaking. You can see how hatred begets hatred, cycling on.
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Yes, Sarah. The harassment of institutionalized racism and violence permeates the lives of many.
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Powerful and so very sad. You gave those amber eyes a voice.
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Thank you, Ali. I did my best.
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Such a harrowing tale — I had to read it twice to realize the extent of this emotion. The refrain of “amber eyes” works powerfully.
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Thank you, Anmol.
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Life can be harsh Lisa. That is a powerful piece.
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Thank you, Rob.
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It may be fiction but we all know it has its roots in SO MANY non-fiction real-life events. Sigh.
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Yep, too much pain usually singes a soul.
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