It’s hard to dab her waxen cheeks.
Sockets fill with sea; digits tremble.
When daffodils last bloomed,
her face wore roses. Fresh endorsed
for necromancy that brought
solace to sobbing left-behinders.
“Keeping you safe, daddy,”
she’d insisted as she imbued
another covid corpse.
Image: “Funeral” by Dondavid
De Jackson is today’s host for dVerse‘ Quadrille Monday. De says:
Write a poem of exactly 44 words, including some form of the word dab. Make up a form of the word if you like, just be sure it’s in there, and that your poem adds up to exactly 44 words not including the title.
Oh, this is a good one! Love the illustration to, it’s perfect for your words.
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Thank you, Jane.
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🙂
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This is chilling in the present situation, and ripe with Gothic madness. Combined with the image it sends shivers down my spine!
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Thank you, Ingrid.
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Wow, this is a chilling piece, from title to last line. Whew.
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Thank you, De.
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The tragedy behind every death is often hidden behind the statistics… reminds me of the early part of the 20th century and tuberculosis that ravaged the population.
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We seldom think of the undertakers and those they love 😦
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I agree with all the comments above–chilling and perfect title and illustration. It makes me think of the sin-eaters.
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Thank you, Merril. I’ve heard the term sin-eaters but will need to look it up to see what it means.
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I’ve encountered the term in stories. They were considered outcasts, but they were given meals after someone died, and it believed that with eating the food, they consumed the person’s sins. I suppose then the dead person’s soul was wiped clean.
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Ah. Thank you for the information.
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This is incredibly dark and chilling, Lisa! I especially like; “When daffodils last bloomed,her face wore roses.”💝
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Thank you, Sanaa.
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Another poetic avenue that you pursue–your Muse has a sense of humor, and your imagination has no lingual limits. Concept, image, language, all taunt and chilling.
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Glenn thank you!
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A bone-chilling poem. A many-times told story.
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Thank you, Beverly.
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A bone-chilling poem. A many-times told story.
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Tres au-courante, Lisa. And the artwork is a perfect accompaniment.
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Well, that put a smile on my face…
Just kidding!
Wow… how dark, Lisa.
-David
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Whoa! What a kick in the gut, that ending. Love it! Excellent, Lisa. Love the photo, too.
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Thank you, Susan. His sorrow has been multiplied exponentially 😦
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What a heartbreaking scenario. Wonderful poem though. 🙂
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Barbara, thank you.
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Wow! you went real deep with this one! What a great poem! Such vivid images of what most would rather not think about! A sad announcement to all that many are still dying of this dreaded virus.!
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When I hear that covid vaccinations sit unused because certain idiots have pushed a message that taking it is the mark of the beast it’s difficult to shake off.
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That is a new one for me! It is rather incredulous to think of the many irrational reasons people use to avoid taking it!
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Yes, I first saw mention of it on one of my brother’s facebook page and then googled it. It is like being in the Twilight Zone more often than not anymore.
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Oh this one’s dreary, but so is this pandemic
Happy Monday
Much💝love
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Exactly, Gillena 😦
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Dark and haunting as is the reality of covid.
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I wish it wasn’t so 😦
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Such a fine piece. Lifting the veil on the corpse tenders. ‘Essential’ workers we think of as heroic nurses and medicos – but here’s the undertaker’s song – still shunned.
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I appreciate your comment very much. Thank you.
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Well that is bone chilling.
My buddy who has been diabetic since he was a kid and is waiting on a kidney got covid a few weeks ago. We were all worried…but he pulled through thankfully.
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So happy he pulled through.
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Chilling!
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Sad, creepy, relevant . . . great job, Lisa! 🌞
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Lisa, thank you!
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That would be a hard job…”sockets fill with sea” is such a good line, in that it really makes one imagine the creepiest image ever! 😱
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Sorry your imagination conjured creepiness!
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I love the way you took a cheerful little word and took it into dark depths, Lisa! I especially love the sibilant ‘sockets fill with sea’ and ‘necromancy that brought solace to sobbing left-behinders’.
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Thank you very much, Kim.
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How to count the lies being spread these days? Your words contain the proper chilling sensation. (K)
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Kerfe, thank you.
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Wow! Bone chilling Lisa.
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Thank you, Linda.
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Necromancy no less! What next in this age of covid? Never mind. This was exquisite horror, Lisa.:)
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Dora, I used necromancy here because of a movie I saw recently, where doctors from the ancient times were not allowed to look inside of bodies because the church would accuse them of necromancy. Then I shifted it to undertakers who have to make a corpse look good for their loved ones.
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Heartbreaking… wonderfully expressed, Li.
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Punam, thank you very much. I felt this person’s story needed to be told.
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Absolutely! You are welcome.
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The story needs telling. Excellent, Lisa!
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Thank you, Sara. I wish it didn’t 😦
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