She doesn’t understand
How to live this adult life
In the midst of war and tragedy,
Poverty and strife
It all just overwhelms her,
The bombardment from all sides
And she doesn’t understand
How to take it in her stride
She doesn’t understand
Why so many people have been cruel
Starting many long and painful years ago
When she was back in school
She has met some kindred spirits
But they are few and far between
They have come in many sizes
Child, adult and even teen
She doesn’t understand the man
She said she’d love, honor, obey
He promised he'd take care of her
but it doesn’t seem that way
She often wonders how she’s going
To continue coping with it all
Many times she ends up crying
Just lying on the floor
She doesn’t understand
Why her thoughts carry her away
To distant shores of perfect friends
And endless summer days
The people there look after her
Her every need and care
And every day is spent
Arranging frangapani's in her hair
She doesn’t understand why
How to live in the adult world
But the answer to all these questions
Is that in her heart, she’s still a girl
In a list
A contest entry
- For New and Trophy Lacking by Blooming Poet.
300 points, ended July 16, 2008, 61 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 15 of 15
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All the tenderness seems to evaporate as soon as we begin to seek power over another. The wonder of love becomes less than gentleness, a silence creeping against the laughter of the child, who sang merely for the purity of heart.
Maybe that is why when we grow old, we sometimes revert to childhood again, for the pure joy of it. How wise is innocence? We know when we lose it. Thank you for sharing this.
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Yes life seems to be so much easier at times with simpler, childish attitudes
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Very emotional and poignant poem. I've always believed that the child is alive in almost every adult. Just give an adult a compliment and you can see the child light up inside, still hungry for praise they didn't receive enough of when they were young, as most kids don't.
A few nitpicks -
I would bring the lines together and break it into 2 or 4 line stanzas to make it more readable visually. Also, the rhyme scheme is broken at all/floor.
Excellent work, as always.
M
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I'm made some adjustments as per your advice, however to me all and floor sort of rhyme. It must be that American accent of yours. Vegemite will fix that, I'll have you talking like an aussie in no time :-)
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Thanks Mark, I'll work on it. I don't really work on my poems, I just write them in 5 seconds flat and then post them. Not very professional of me is it!! I wrote this one at 12.30am when I needed a break from work.
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WOW
wow just doesn´t do this piece justice, it is amazing, i can totally relate to this, it is a brilliant write, it flows really well and is so full of emotion, it had me in tears as it pulled at my heart strings, well done x
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Thank you so much, I don't think anyone has ever said my work has made them cry, I'm so humbled by that.
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wow
It's been a very very long time since any poetry on this site, or infact any at all has grabbed me emotionally.
i suppose its the curse of having to disect it in every class
but this.... this really bought a tear to my eye
the simple refrain of "she doesn't understand" was very effective to drill the message in and this deceptivly simple tool reflects the theme of the inner child. i also loved the AABBCCDD rhyme scheme, often on here it is ABABA rhyme or freeverse, and your rhyme did not seem forced more that this is what you were trying to say and lo and behold it rhymes.
this is an stupendious poem -
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Thank you to you as well, I really appreciate you reading my poetry and commenting. It makes me so happy to know that people enjoyed it.
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yes, the inner child, she never goes away and eventually comes knocking when neglected. Guess she just needs a little help to grow up.
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Yes but I don't know where the help is going to come from!!
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That was really good thanks for sharing
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Thank you
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i know how you feel
i feel ya girl,
we all want love and normally it does not come from family or lovers or even our off spring.
most times love comes from our chosen family or strangers that we meet. i feel this poem more than you think... isolation and too much thinking really stinks.
sometimes i ask myself why cant i just be happy no matter what. be grateful even when things suck...
sometimes i just want to disapear.because i feel like i would not even be missed. then i think of my three dogs lulu buster and bamm bamm and i say that should be enough. so i go on and try to find meaning again in my life. it aint easy....i even looked up on google how to be happy again and a sight came up that was very good. google how to be happy you may find your way.
lots of love to you
c
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Thanks for that, I will look. I'm fine you know, I just spend most of the day wondering when the grown ups are going to turn up, and getting totally overwhelmed by it all.
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