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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Abundance (06/08/06)
She smells of bubble gum and berries
Bright eyes of rich emerald
Deep brows like her brothers
Blanketed by abundant love, she belongs

Sometimes I join her outside
Running, playing, scraping at joy
Almost like a regular kid … but not
From her and the others, I am hiding

I wear my mask of normalcy there
More and more I wear it
She need never know of my father’s neglect
They will never know of his twisted attention

Deception and torment thrive within me
Living just below the surface
Covered and held firm by my mask
I protect a dark truth

She looks at me with affection
I feel unclean, unworthy of innocence
Her family is generous with their love
Sharing dinner and laughter with a liar

Some secrets can never be shared
I hear the whispers of evil
Endless accusations adding to my wounds
I sit in silence, waiting for hope to return

When I look into her emerald eyes
For a moment, I forget about the bruises
Love borrowed, like sugar, from the neighbors
But my joy is ending; I must go home
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This article has been read 962 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Ann Stocking
06/15/06
Haunting and captivating. I had to read it several times... and as it went deeper, the pain grew... as you intended. Wonderful use of words.
Andre Kingston
06/16/06
Sometimes the words unsaid speak louder than the ones spoken. This is how well this poem worked. Well done. The use of little details gave flesh to the poem without making it smothering real. You struck a good balance between the physical and the etheral (scraping at joy). You left the reader haunted and wanting to know what happens to the narrator afterward. Thank you.
Miss Andre.
Sharlyn Guthrie
06/19/06
Wow! This is well done, but so painful! I am left with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. You have said it well.
dub W
06/19/06
I would have liked to see a more consistant beat, but the emotion of the poem was clear.
Kaylee Blake 
06/20/06
Great. *wipes away tears*
Marita Vandertogt
06/25/06
I should have commented earlier because this piece still stays with me. The emotion is powerful... something I think a lot of people can identify with. Keep writing and sharing! You have a gift!