August & April
I have no poetry in me.
It’s been sucked out by creeping
oily blackness and looming
anniversaries. My head thrums
with a dull ache deep in the lining
of my brain, buried in the neurons
and electrons that spark anew
with each slimy image and
watery recollection.
Frown lines furrow my forehead as
if marked by oil laden wings dragged
through the sand. The tic in my left
eye jerks like the beat of frantic fists
on attic timbers.
I have no poetry in me.
~
I started this poem about a week ago and finished it last night with Big Tent Poetry’s prompt in mind. Guest poet Nathan Landau inspired us to write a poem based on steganography, or incorporating a “secret message” into our words. He says, “The beauty is in the message being truly hidden in plain sight.” Can you guess the subject of my secret message in plain sight?
More poetry inspired by this prompt can be found at Big Tent Poetry.
Charlotte Hamrick 
beautiful. haunting. perfectly representative of the symbolism of august and april.
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Does it have to do with the shape of the poem?
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Thanks, Tichaona, I appreciate your comment & hope you’ll visit again!
No, twitches, it has to do with the subject matter.
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Feels like news has decimated poetry. So much happening in Louisiana and the Gulf States. Excellent poem.
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Haunting and desolate. Polluted ocean. Exquisitely crafted piece.
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Relating frown lines to oil drenched wings being dragged through the sand is excellent imagery (not that the suffering of wildlife is a good thing!). So many people have been left bereft by the oil spill.
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Zouxzoux this is a haunting piece and I feel your sorrow from this!
Well executed poem!
Pamela
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This is incredibly moving and well crafted. Thank you for sharing it.
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Yes you do! Adversity, sorrow, loss accounts for some of the most profound poetry ever written. Just keep writing, you are wonderful!
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man, I know this feeling.
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and you churned out something even when you dont!
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Such a moving poem written from your heart. Let your light shine on 🙂 Thanks for sharing x
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neat!
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Thanks to everyone who has commented and for your good wishes for the Gulf Coast. I’m praying hard every day that the cap holds until the relief wells can take over. Maybe the end is in sight.
Thanks to Whirlwind Publishing for the link to this post also. You gave me a big smile with that one!
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u do have poetry…beautiful moving piece:)
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I guessed it. You have a lot of words, flowing onwards
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