New Classic Poems – Contemporary Verse That Rhymes

New Classic Poems
The Dark Side
Echoes
Irene Livingston
She sashays, cool and careless through my door,
throws off her backpack, sits, kicks off her shoes.
We talk of this and that. I let her choose.
Her hair’s a fountain, splashing curls galore.
I ask about her lover, sense some lies,
as nimble words go flitting, skirting all
the thorny topics, till they stumble, fall
on sore points. “I’m so furious!” she cries.
For life is shoving her against rough walls.
I hear, from hollow houses of the past,
a distant howl as childhood springs at last
and echoes in her throat. All pretense falls.
The years, a heavy habit, drop away;
face crumples, anguish flooding over pain–
shaped eyes. Contorted mouth cannot contain
hard-cornered, bitter words that rage and flay.
I reach out to her grief and hold her head
in shielding hands; I kiss her face and knead
child-shoulders, murmur mother-words, I feed
her tidbits of advice, like warm new bread
spread gently with compassion ’s butter knife.
Bowlfuls of comfort, cups of care, tea-hot.
My loving spoonfuls warm her but cannot
restrain or glove the callused fist of life.
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