Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The extreme of letting things be


(snapshot)

A stack of hair brushes
covered in a blanket of dust

tar

he would not permit to clean,
less they mar her prints
on those handles, or free

the last strands of her hair
tangled in the broken fingers,
black and youthful forever.

***

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

the last line is so powerful, especially for me, now that i'm getting gray and feeling so old :(

Ravenblack said...

I see these things, and I wonder how I would be when those days come.

Thanks for your visit, Z.

Unknown said...

really great job of bringing these images to life here. Often times, you wish to see the photo that apparently accompanies the verse, but if the photos even exist or not, it doesn't matter, as your words paint a picture to the imagination much stronger than the eyes could do through a photo. Really cool, and isolating tar like you did, I found to be a very neat touch. Thanks

Daydreamertoo said...

We cling to the past as if it will save us and yet, it is gone forever. I can understand not wanting to let go but, in the end (as I have had to learn) we have to.
Short but powerful in its imagery and says so much in such a concise way.

Pat Hatt said...

Sometimes the past is good to hold onto, but when it leaves all the dust, cleaning is a must haha

Ravenblack said...

Fred, Daydreamer, Pat: Thanks!

Fred: A photo does exist but it doesn't seem right to post it.

Daydreamer: a process of griefing, partly ending in putting it away or putting it away properly. There's a sense that when this is how it is, it's probably an indication of getting stuck, just frozen.

Pat: I probably bin things. Or likely shove them in a box. I don't know I guess. For me I rather not see things that remind me. Not like that. Anyway, I get sinus problems around dust.

ayala said...

Short and yet well said.... We try to hold on to the past and our youth but it passes by so swiftly and we have to let go.

Scarlet said...

Nice retelling....without so many words, there is a story behind broken fingers and last strands of her hair ~

Ravenblack said...

Thanks for your comments, Ayala and Heaven!

Brian Miller said...

there is a lot of underlying feeling in this one...the loss comes through for sure...its a process and not an easy one...and different for everyone....trying to hold onto those last pieces...

dsnake1 said...

wow, a powerful piece of work, so much said in so few words. this speaks so strongly about an unwillingness to let go.

the "last strands of her hair" gives me an image of someone who has had undergone chemo treatment. my mind can work in strange ways. :)

Ravenblack said...

Thanks for your comments, Brian and dsnake.

dsnake: I think it's reasonable to think it might be that. :) I don't have the real story behind this either.

Dark Angel said...

Feels like somebody pining or mourning far too long.

Bodhirose said...

Yes, deep feelings in this for sure..not wanting to disturb a stack of dusty hairbrushes lest you disturb the memories of what once was... You said a great deal in these few well-chosen words.

Ravenblack said...

Thanks Dark Angel and Bodhirose.