she had never heard of
the golden rule
her kindmess and
devortion to others
were intrinsic
a second skin
she did not need
chapter and verse
to instil charity into
her own sweet heart
she was the sun
that made the gospels shine
hers was to give
without receiving
and everyone took
and took mercilessly
until the golden goose
was depleted and of no
more use to them
like her ancient silk stocking bag
and her old wartime
musty furs
smelling of face pwder
and cologne
hanging in the closet
at the end
without complaint
without bitterness
she sat alone in the rain
there was no elephant
to shelter her
i remember
how could i forget
THE AGE OF LONELINESS.....EARTHWEAL
FRIDAY WRITINGS.... # 69
Ahh...the elephant not in the room. Beautifully penned.
ReplyDeleteOh, how I love this poem. About a heart so giving and dear. Lovely. I LOVE the closing lines. And that image of the elephant is one of my faves. This poem made my morning. Smiles. So glad you linked it.
ReplyDeleteThese are the ones we need most.
ReplyDeleteA heart that has evolved into something beautiful.. I enjoyed reading this, in fact I read it twice. - Truedessa
ReplyDeleteWe seem to have lost that natural understanding of what is truly sacred and valuable!
ReplyDeleteYes giving till you deplete.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet lady, such a sweet poem. Yes, there are still such persons out there even though the circus elephants are no longer. In fact I call my sweet as having her middle name to be "help". Perhaps her mom didn't give her one.
ReplyDelete..
This seems so sad, yet perhaps this humble (great) soul did not feel hard done by.
ReplyDelete"hers was to give
ReplyDeletewithout receiving
and everyone took
and took mercilessly" And even chapter and verse do not wake so many of us. Here generosity is met with a cruel indifference. The song underlines the tone you set--gratitude and regret and shame. We learn love too late.
Nice sketch of a nice person.
ReplyDeleteYour poetry spoke volumes to this reader .... I enjoyed it immensely. Generosity of spirit matters.
ReplyDeleteLove the closing lines... and this strikes a chord.. life turns on the best people sometimes, leaving us wondering why.
ReplyDeleteYes some soul's are so... selfless
ReplyDelete