A woman who knows where she’s been, where she is,
and where she is headed. Darling Nell and Dear Tig
are mirrored, mutually imprinted, souls housed in flesh.
Nell, whose thought caches contain many worlds, spills
memoirs, clears mice nests from boots, and dives into
icy water to retrieve windblown, now sodden, yoga pants.
Tig, a helpmate, appreciator of fine food and rustic cabins
whose daddy returned changed from his helm in the war,
drinking no invisibility potion, slowly fades from this realm.
Tween fore and aft, a big juicy slew of quantum wanders,
from two besties war veterans traumaed in French rurality;
An obnoxious, oppositional teenager nudged along paths
of her developing womanhood by a witch – her mother;
A gathering of feminist overachievers who know each others’
most prized and most detestable qualities — that bond them;
A dead earthworm’s soul crawls into a surprised woman’s
body, which confuses the hell out of the woman’s boyfriend;
A place where lethal viruses effect draconial Handmaidian
measures to coerce the planet into continuing the species;
Nell knows where she’s been, where she is, and where
she is headed. Her magnanimous perspective on it all
makes me a believer that, whatever has been, whatever
things are, and wherever one is headed, it’s all OK.
This poem is about Margaret Atwood’s latest book of short stories, “Old Babes in the Wood.” Much of the book is autobiographical. Note: some words are intentionally misspelled, i.e. aren’t considered words in the dictionary.
Laura is today’s host of dVerse’ Meet The Bar. Laura says:
The topic for today’s MTB prompt is
• go to the last book you bought/read (or make it a favourite one if you can’t remember)
• write a prose poem about it in approx 200-300 words
Tao Talk 
the short story element is remarkably drawn in the paragraphs with its Atwoodesque descriptions
“mirrored, mutually imprinted, souls housed in flesh”
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Thank you, Laura!
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You make me interested in reading this book. Especially the part about the earthworm crawling into a woman’s body and confusing the hell out of her boyfriend.😂
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Melissa, I hope you do. I regard Atwood a crone of the best kind. You’re a little young for this book generally, but there are a few stories of younger people, including the earthworm one :)
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I’ll definitely check it out! I think I’ve always related with people older than myself. I feel sort of in between generations–slow to pick up new technology, but I obviously missed out on many of the things older generations lived through. I have a hard time relating to people slightly younger than myself. Anyway, I grew up reading Anne Rice books (Vampire Chronicles and Witching Hour). It was around the third grade when my dad thought introducing those was a good idea.😅 I was reading advanced books for my age anyway. I was/am a big fan of the Redwall series by Brian Jacques.
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“Tween fore and aft, a big juicy slew of quantum wanders”–I love both the line and the idea. (K)
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Kerfe, thank you. I like the line and the idea also.
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Sounds like an intense story. I like the way you came full circle at the end. Everything is going to be alright! A good attitude for all of us.
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Thanks, Dwight. It’s a book of short stories and well worth a read. I think you’d like it.
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You are welcome. I might have to check it out!
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I’m sure your local library will have it. Easy (and cheap) way to check it out.
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That is some great wording and phrasing Lisa…it’s pretty intense.
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Thank you, Max :)
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Wow this sounds interesting and I love how you’ve described this, there is so much in which to delve I think. Also love Tori Amos sounds like something in her realm :) Will be checking this one out.
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It’s a good read, and I love that song! It fits the book well, I think.
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I love Margaret Atwood fan but haven’t read this collection yet – now I am determined to do so. I like the structure of your prose poem, Lisa, which reflects the genre. I also love the phrase ‘souls housed in flesh’ and the way each character has a stanza of their own, especially Nell’s. The one that intrigues me is:
‘A dead earthworm’s soul crawls into a surprised woman’s
body, which confuses the hell out of the woman’s boyfriend’.
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Kim, I am sure you would appreciate the stories in the book. The earthworm story is a stand alone and a good palate cleanser. It’s also one that has deep metaphorical aspects.
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The earthworm’s soul shook me out of the poem :) Excellent take on the prompt!
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Reena, thanks so much. Knowing what a wise crone Atwood is, she probably threw that story in there knowing people would mention this one in their reviews and be intrigued :)
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:)
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I was only looking at this yesterday! You certainly sold it to me, so I’ll have to read it now.
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Cool, Jane. Let me know what you think after you read it.
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I will :)
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I like the format of stanzas for short stories. It sounds like an interesting collection. I’ve loved some of her work, and not loved some. I suspect I may feel the same about a collection of stories. Her work is always fascinating though.
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Her subject matter is often intense and dark (e.g. The Handmaid’s Tale) but these stories are not, for the most part.
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An interestingly inticing poem
Enjoyed the music video too.
Much🖤love
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Thanks much, Gillena!
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Sounds like a fun book to read. First mentoin of “Dear Tig” and I knew he was a nueteted cat like one that I take home for play and him pining out the window to chase a bird.
I was sooo surprised to figure out later that “Dear Tig” was a girl. Our daughter has a boy cat, nuetered, that acts like a girl. Sits in my lap and purrs.
Good Job!!! Lisa.
..
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Jim, you’re wrong on both. Tig is Nell’s husband. Thanks for reading and guessing.
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I haven’t read this yet – but now I am more determined to thanks Lisa ,a great write 💞
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Ange, I hope you get a chance, but I know how it goes with a reading list :)
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p.s. Thank you!
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❤️
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Lisa, I am reading Margaret Atwood “On Writers and Writing) and discover that she began as a poet and I think you do all justice to her in your Prose Poem Review…
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Now that makes me smile, thank you very much for the info :)
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A tour de force Lisa. Dictionaries be damned (lol).
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Paul many thanks and absoeffinlutely! :)
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This is outstanding, Lisa!
I wanted it to go on and on (thought it did end perfectly)
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Dear Dale, thank you. That old bird can write.
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That she can!!
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This is awesome Li! I loved your descriptive writing here in this poem! x
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