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The Young Poetesses
by Ken HarnischThe young poetesses sigh
And in their vulnerable state, wreak havoc, the
Razors drawn across their wrists.
They save the worst of their cynicism
For themselves, it being the talisman
They bring to the forum
To ward off men and other vultures
I think them beautiful
And they question where and how and why
I can see beauty in such a thing as they
When every wart they think they see
Sprouts kindred boils and carbuncles
Upon faces much too lovely to be
Worthy of their scorn
To tell them they write gorgeously
Is self- defeating; each poem is writ
From the sliced open veins
Of pain so magnificent words
Can’t do them justice. And yet
The words they drop on the
Empty pages of their broken
Lives are so beguiling
It is almost worth
Letting them bleed, even needlessly,
So I can read, and be astonished
05/29/2008 Author's Note: After reading some spectacular poetry here from young women who are much too hard on themselves and talented for being so
Posted on 05/30/2008
Copyright © 2025 Ken Harnisch
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Gabriel Ricard on 05/30/08 at 04:00 AM I think you might have nailed it, man. |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 05/30/08 at 12:04 PM You capped this off so well - to staunch the bleeding or not - well done. |
| Posted by Amy Niggel on 05/31/08 at 07:33 PM Heh they'll grow out of it don't worry. We all do sometime :) |
| Posted by Quentin S Clingerman on 06/01/08 at 01:28 AM Insightful reflection on the writing of poetry by certain pathetic female poets. (Good thing they remain nameless!) |
| Posted by JD Clay on 06/10/08 at 07:47 PM Although poets are characteristically self-deprecating, some are victims of their own devices, all based in truth where pain is pain. Your perception here is insightful, Ken, whereby your words are as astonishing as theirs. |
| Posted by Scott Utley on 06/28/08 at 04:49 AM I see that you post from time to time. And this piece, which is recent, is nuclear implosion under the watchful eye of God and his perfect geometry. I think I might explode if I were you and I wasn't writing every day. I hope you are. If you don't, you are responsible if Earth wobbles off her axis. No pressure, just astonishment. |
| Posted by Mo Couts on 07/01/11 at 01:06 AM Wow. As one of those young poet girls, this makes me smile, yet having grown up tremendously and not being so sad anymore, also allows me to look back on where I've been and where I am, now. Thanks for this =) |
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