Tuesday, July 9, 2013

dVerse & Friday Flash 55, July 9, 2013

Photo Courtesy of Tess Kincaid for Magpie Tales
Too Late

A hand shakes,
caresses my cheek,
tugs upon non-existent 
ponytail, moist eyes
crinkle with approval...
see me not as I am.

I try and imagine
how it would've felt
to have received
tender devotion
as a little girl 
desirous of his affection,

not an image conjured up
by a doddering mind,
years too late.

by Margaret Bednar, Art Happens 365, revised July 9, 2013 (original June 7, 2011)

This is for dVerse - Open Link Night #104 ... and Friday Flash 55 (which I will link up to Thursday after 8pm.   This was originally a poetry prompt for Magpie Tales - Tess collects all sorts of things - and her weekly photo prompts for poetic expression are still going strong!
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15 comments:

  1. MaryJuly 9, 2013 at 10:03 PM

    There is deep sadness here. So hard not to have received the devotion one wanted / needed as a child.

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  2. Brian MillerJuly 9, 2013 at 10:43 PM

    sounds like he missed out on an opportunity back in the day...and thought of it far too late....

    i remember that pic...that has been a while...

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  3. Susie ClevengerJuly 9, 2013 at 11:46 PM

    I feel the pain in this. My mother never told me she loved me until she had Alzheimer's...She didn't know who I was.

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  4. grapelingJuly 10, 2013 at 12:46 AM

    Margaret, powerful emotions here. And a stunning image.

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  5. Ginnie HartJuly 10, 2013 at 9:06 AM

    All sorts of things, indeed. WOW.

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  6. Audrey Howitt aka DivaloungerJuly 10, 2013 at 12:39 PM

    So sad--this write--and all of us who desired the attention of a parent can relate--

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  7. Laurie KolpJuly 10, 2013 at 3:24 PM

    So sad... we all long for that tender devotion from our fathers... and it stays with us.

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  8. Mystic_MomJuly 10, 2013 at 4:42 PM

    Powerful. Moving. Sad. Regretful. Well done.

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  9. Jannie FunsterJuly 11, 2013 at 4:43 PM

    Both my grandfathers died before I made my appearance on this planet. This poem reminds me of what could have been. Oh well... the now is good, tho.

    xoox

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  10. TALONJuly 11, 2013 at 10:15 PM

    How tragic...but I think anyone can relate to those regrets...those missed opportunities. If you need the code still, Margaret, email me at--

    the_talon@ymail.com

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  11. g-manJuly 11, 2013 at 10:42 PM

    Margaret Bednar...
    This is why I spent lots of time loving my children and letting them know it.
    I let them know it till this day
    Loved your 'Cats in the Cradle' 55
    Thanks for your always brilliant insight, LOVE having you back
    Have a Kick Ass Week End

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  12. Alice AudreyJuly 12, 2013 at 2:01 AM

    That is so sad. Makes the original lack of love all the worse.

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  13. hedgewitchJuly 12, 2013 at 9:53 AM

    A striking, disturbing photo, and a tight and well-crafted poem to go with it--for me the terrible thing about the past is not so much what happened, but that it can't ever be changed--only endured.

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  14. Other MaryJuly 12, 2013 at 1:04 PM

    This is a tight, powerful piece Margaret. You pack a lifetime of anguish in to these few words.
    And welcome back.

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  15. AnonymousJuly 12, 2013 at 1:17 PM

    This one really tugs at the heart. Those wishes and regrets will always haunt us.

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