Happy, Happy Birthday: a poem

[scappy]

Well, here goes. This is an older poem, but one that still holds true today, unfortunately. Any and all thoughts welcome.


Happy, Happy Birthday

Her head barely fills my small hands
and her foot fits easily in my mouth;
she has exactly twenty-nine hairs
on her precious crown
and her azure eyes don't yet see the wonder in mine;
her skin is the soft of angels' wings
and her smile the innocence
of a thornless rose.
And I read yesterday
that she will soon be taught ?
in a matter of years ?
to dull her eyes with violence,
to pierce her skin with needles,
and to barter her innocence for money.

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby.

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Shelly Caplinger
"Dream out loud"

 

[Alisaura]

Beautiful, sad, true...
All the sadder for being true, all the more beautiful for having truth in so few words.
I love it.
You're good at this!

 

[scappy]

Thanks Alisaura! I haven't had people around who were interested in reading any of my stuff in quite awhile. Guess I'll have to get back to work and see what I can come up with!

I'm off to read your poem now...

------------------
Shelly Caplinger
"Dream out loud"

 

[The Wanderer]

I hope we have the pleasure of reading some more of your poems, I know exactly what you mean to, it's difficult to find anyone interested in poetry since I finished college . . . what a shame that people just don't realize, how much of someone's soul can be found neatly hidden inside their poetry . . . but I guess people prefer the lack there of, I don't know, do people just like everything around them to be superficial, or am I missing something????

 

[scappy]

I think that people in general aren't raised to value deep thought, discussion, poetry, philosophy, etc. Personally, my parents (father especially) were as apt to read my poetry at bedtime as nursery rhymes or children's stories, so I grew up with poetry. I started writing seriously when I was twelve, so I have a long history of expressing myself through poetry. My parents encouraged me from such an early age...I'm lucky; most aren't.

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Shelly Caplinger
"Dream out loud"

 

[Alisaura]

I haven't really had anyone interested in my writing (poetry or prose) since I left secondary school 4 years ago... Don't know many poetic types at Uni... well maybe I do, but I'm too darn shy to show them to them.

At school it was mainly the teachers... *shrug*
I guess this forum would choke if I started posting prose, I might put some links up if anyone's interested.

 

[The Wanderer]

great, as long as it's not the sequel to James Joyce's "Ulysses" . . .

 

[scappy]

Ulysses...Erm...Hmm...I've decided there is wisdom in brevity.

That said, most of my poems are long and hard to follow... <g>

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Shelly Caplinger
"Dream out loud"