At long last I have risen,
my breath an amalgamation of autumn breeze and vengeance,
gone are the days
when innocence wept in chaos and bedlam
I let my eyes rest for a moment,
it gives life to damp grass, rough and unruly
like uncombed hair
my heart fluttering between shades of gold
and black in twilight,
the urge to carry on is the first sign that strength grows
in spine-breaking moments
when failure seems to caress everything and seems inevitable,
I am Ophelia
daughter of Polonius and symbol
of fidelity
that once torn between love and duty had gone mad,
now I am roses
riotously blooming, I couldn’t care less
about men
and manipulation let alone drown in a river of blood
and distress.
Photo credits: Pinterest
For Anmol’s prompt, “Myths & Legends.” 🙂
Posted for Poetics @ dVerse Poets pub
And on Tuesday platform @ Real Toads
I do love an Ophelia who doesn’t do what’s expected, let her rule the rotten kingdom of Denmark instead.
Yayyy ❤️ Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
The death wish passes. Ophelia triumphs! YAY
Yayyy ❤️ Thank you so much, Beverly 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
More power to Ophelia! This is so good — a modern feminist rendering of Ophelia rising through all the rot and ugliness. “breath an amalgamation of autumn breeze and vengeance”, “now I am roses
riotously blooming, I couldn’t care less about men/and manipulation”: Yes, yes! I love it.
A wonderful write, Sanaa! 🙂
Awww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Anmol 😀 so glad you enjoyed it! ❤️
(and thank you for the lovely prompt) 🌹
I like this, very well done!
Thank you so much, Dr. Crystal 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Such creative bravery to rewrite HAMLET. I have always been saddened by Ophelia’s madness and suicide. I prefer your version.
Awwww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Glenn 😀 so glad you enjoyed it! ❤️
I love Ophelia and wrote about her not long ago myself, although that is not the one I linked to today. this was a delicious mix.
Thank you so much, Violet 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
I like the idea of Ophelia being reincarnated as roses. It’s a much better fate for her.
Thank you so much, Silver Gardenia 😀 so good to see you ❤️
Wonderful!
Thank you so much, Reena 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Ophelia has a powerfully modern attitude in this poem, Sanaa! I love the ‘breath an amalgamation of autumn breeze and vengeance’, blowing strong and defiant, and, especially, the lines:
‘now I am roses
riotously blooming, I couldn’t care less
about men
and manipulation let alone drown in a river of blood
and distress.’
Thank you so much, Kim 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
If only. I would have been nice if she’d been given a choice about anything.
Definitely 😉 thanks for stopping by, Jane ❤️
I very much dig this take. Let her take her power of self-determination back and etch her own story.
Thank you so much, Barry 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Beautifully done!
As someone who used to care far too much about the opinions and affections of men, I feel that Ophelia is correct in not caring less about men and manipulation.
Thank you so much, Real Cie 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
People sometimes forget that roses come with thorns, but it seems like Ophelia is finally remembering hers and how to use them. Good on her!
Thank you so much, Rommy 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
What a wonderful evocation of Ophelia. I love her self-affirming tone of voice!
the urge to carry on is the first sign that strength grows
in spine-breaking moments
Thank you so much, Kerry 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
Once torn between love and duty, “now I am roses, riotously blooming”. How wonderful!
Thank you so much, Sherry 😀 so good to see you ❤️
I like that Ophelia resurrects with thorns among the roses.
Thank you so much, Toni 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤️
Nicely written, Sanaa. Ophelia had it rough both ways. I too would be rid of men had I lived. She was way, way ahead of her time.
..
Thank you so much, Jim 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
As always, wonderful imagery with profound ideas.
Yes indeed, can’t blame your Ophelia for getting fed up with the lot of them!
Thank you so much, Rosemary 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️