I have nothing left
and so I am consumed
incendiary
for the mother whose fire is extinguished
for the father who is mere ashes
for the child
for the child
I protest
I have nothing left
you will burn with me
and you will listen
Tonight the dVerse Poets Pub is kindly hosted by Punam for Quadrille Monday, where she invites us to write a quadrille of 44 words on the them of ‘protest’.
I will let the poem speak for itself.
(Image credit: Michael Noel, via Pexels).
he’s no fool
observing courtiers drool
praising a monarch
most embarrassingly naked
‘Your Majesty’s suit is the best in the land!’
the jester
jumps, somersaults, springs
crooning his undeniable truth
couched in curtseys
and simpering smiles
“Off with their heads!’
the courtiers are dead
It’s been a long, long time since I entered the dVerse poetry community pub, because life is a thing and my memory banks became overloaded. But, I’ve found my way back, without using a map!
I’m happy to have found my way back and take part in the Quadrille at dVerse, hosted by De. The word we should use in this 44 word poem is ‘jump’, or a variation of it.
I hope you enjoy my variation on the fairytale The Emperor’s New Clothes!
Image – author’s own
London salivated
over our fresh meat
tabloid hacks
prostituted for pennies
with sketches of our demise
making his name
making their name
off our benighted backs
Name us:
Polly Nicholls
Annie Chapman
Elizabeth Stride
Kate Eddowes
Mary Jane Kelly
He shall not be named
*****
This week in dVerse Quadrille Monday, our welcoming host Mish asked to mull draw with words a poem based on the word, ‘in any way we feel, as long as the word ‘sketch’ is included somewhere, in some related form. Of course, it being a quadrille, there absolutely must be 44 words in the poem, no more and no less. I’ve counted my offering several times, so I hope I’ve managed to count correctly!
My poem is inspired by the women, the ‘canonical five’ who were brutally murdered at the hands of Jack the Ripper in Victorian London. They were incorrectly much maligned as prostitutes, with this role being looked down on and criticised for decades. Instead, they were poor, working class women, trying to make a life in an extraordinarily tough environment. If you want to find out more about them as women and not just victims, I can highly recommend Hallie Rubenhold’s book The Five. They deserve to be known.
Do head on over to read the imaginative offerings of the poets who make up this wonderful dVerse poetry community – and why not take part yourself?!
