12 A.M.
I held my heart
as outside it began to rain,
the cry of an owl
told me the uncaring knew not change
they dupe the eyes of men,
dare I storm into their hideout and take a chance?
There is a colourable look that you wear
that maddens the eye and blows
my mind,
words that follow seem dipped in
shades of red,
this saucy drumming has given me a pain in my head.
You see the problem with being the strong one
is knowing
wooden hearts will never bend.
Come morning,
come lift me out from the cloud
of darkness,
this less than polite percussion and put my suffering
to an end.
Like a smoldering sun,
January services like a drum
and though the cold keeps surging through
my veins
I am embroidered with the sweet desire to live.
Photo credits: Pinterest
Posted on Sunday Mini-Challenge @ Real Toads
52 Responses
I’m glad you set your poem in a specific time, Sana, midnight and the here and now of late January, to which we can all relate. I like the rain and the cry of the owl, which add atmosphere. The words seemingly dipped in shades of red are suggestive and I love the saucy drumming, unbending wooden hearts and polite percussion (great use of rhythm and alliteration)!
Thank you so much, Kim 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
(and thank you for the lovely prompt) 🌹
I like how you let the darkness of night and soul end in a hope of hope in the morning… it’s good to know that daylight will come to the soul
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Good writing. You really nailed the prompt! Love the “saucy drumming” and “…embroidered with the sweet desire…”
Aww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Susan 😀 so glad you enjoyed it! ❤️
The grim drums….nice that there is still hope.
Definitely 😀 thanks for stopping by, Toni ❤️
Come morning,
come lift me out from the cloud
of darkness,
this less than polite percussion
Brilliant lines in an awe-inspiring poem!
Yayy! ❤️ Thank you so much, Kerry 😍 so glad you liked it! ❤️
There are always a myriad of problems with being the strong one…. and knowledge is power. And I love how you weaved this all together. Rather graceful.
Thank you so much, Vivian 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
Ah – it is good to be a strong one at most times, but sometimes it can cause problems as well. Your poem expresses this well.
Thank you so much, Mary 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Love the owl and the rain. You have captured well the dark night of the soul. Thankfully the light of morning brings a fresh start.
Thank you so much, Sherry 😀 so good to see you ❤️
Ooh, I love the imagery that comes to mind with the term “polite percussion”. It’s mechanical, passionless, it fades into the background- but you are never quite free of its monotony.
Thank you so much, Rommy 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
the desire for survival is strong, in animals and humans. Beautiful words.
Thank you so much, Annell 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Beautiful poem and photo.
Thank you so much, Vicki 😀 so good to see you ❤️
” wooden hearts will never bend”, not if they are dry and dead. I really like this image.
Thank you so much, Magaly 😀 so glad the words resonated with you ❤️
A night time struggle. The narrative enters and exits the danger place.
“You see the problem with being the strong one
is knowing
wooden hearts will never bend.”
Wow! I also love your use of color in this poem.
Thank you so much, Susan 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
I’ve often wondered how the lives of wo.en who venture out were lived, their thoughts, etc. This gives me an idea. I have my order in to be a girl if I’m reincarnated. I want to look like the one in your pictureand wear not quite so much lipstick.
Loved your poem, Sanaa.
..
Thank you so much, Jim 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Wonderful ending…
ZQ
Thank you so much, ZQ 😀 so good to see you ❤️
luv your embroider image Sanaa.
Thanks for dropping by my sumie Sunday today
much love…
Thank you so much, Gillena 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Much🌷🌷love
You always draw me in with your words Sanaa and I am amazed.
Thank you so much, Linda 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
Wow, what a brilliant response to the prompt! So full of verve, colour and emotion.
Yayy! ❤️ Thank you so much, Rosemary 😍 so good to see you! ❤️
Fabulous poem. I especially can relate to…
You see the problem with being the strong one
is knowing
wooden hearts will never bend.
Thank you so much, KB 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Some superb lines in this ‘knowing wooden hearts will never bend’ : awesome … and wise.
Thank you so much, Wendy 😀 so glad the words resonated with you ❤️
Fantastic as always. I love how there is an air of resilience in this.
Thank you so much, Suyash 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
Love the way you started the poem… great opening.
Thank you so much, Rajani 😀 so good to see you ❤️
May you always have that sweetest desire to live Sanaa despite life always haveingup and down that make us weep. I love the way you write about feelings thai way and hope you can always remain as strong as your words.
Awww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Robin 😍 so glad you liked it! ❤️
Midnight, late January. Can there be a more desolate time? I saw a meme on Facebook singing the 30 days hath September song and when it got to January, it said that month had 738. It does seem that way in mid-Winter, doesn’t it, even when we know that spring will eventually come.
Definitely 😀 thanks for stopping by, Sarah ❤️
Sanaa this is truly a beautiful poem. I love the angst in the beginning, then the hope at the end. I also admire your dedication to true poetic methods, your selection of words and the imagery you invoke.
Thank you so much, Myrna 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
Some outstanding lines:
“You see the problem with being the strong one
is knowing
wooden hearts will never bend.”
“this less than polite percussion”
Love this, Sanaa. Filled with passion!
Thank you so much, Sara 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️