Song of Freedom (A Read-Backwards Poem)
©April28th, 2016
Singing a song of freedom.
Or, perhaps, it was her blood
Mermaids singing to her.
Somewhere, she could hear
The water stung like hornets.
Burning with borrowed heat.
A comet with icy heart,
Hurtling through the air,
She took a deep breath, and flew,
As her blood moved slowly in her veins.
She moved slowly to the rocky cliff.
Sing a song of freedom to her feet.
She threw off her heels, felt the grass
She climbed down a beautiful yew tree.
Hand over foot, over hand over foot,
Leaning over, she saw her escape.
Desperate, she found the open French window.
Made smiles and talk, made promises, broke them.
People on the dance-floor, people in the library.
People in the kitchen, people in the bathrooms,
People near the door, people near the balcony,
Escape routes were closed off.
But turned away, lips aching.
Automatically, she smiled back,
Drink in hand, his lips speaking.
A man approached her, smiling,
Something like sadness.
Something sharp cut inside her throat,
And to her right, a trapped deer
She looked to her left, wildly,
Nor did she care – empty, like her cup.
What they discussed, she did not know,
Deep in a dance beyond her ken.
Arms gesticulating, lips moving,
She moved, where people talked.
Slowly, slowly through the throngs,
Was this real, a dream, imagined?
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This was in response to the NaPoWriMo prompt for Day 28:
And now, for our prompt (optional, as always). Today I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that tells a story. But here’s the twist – the story should be told backwards. The first line should say what happened last, and work its way through the past until you get to the beginning. Now, the story doesn’t have to be complicated (it’s probably better if it isn’t)!