Tatters

Eyes, silent and soft, a whisper
Falling across so many hearts,
Breathing in affections, singing
Caresses, messages…
Yet filled with melancholy
Doubt and despair, darkness
In clouds of regret, without the
Sparkle of life they had once,
Long ago…
When he was young, filled with
Wonder and inspired…
By the brilliance of the sunrise,
The intimacy of a starry sky,
The music pulsing through the 
Rainfall, and the delicate brush of kisses
Easy against a secret, liquid
Like laughter and flowing into
The seas, in colors bold and vibrant
Hues so alive they tremble,
Echoing wonder in hopeful sighs

Eyes, mournful and dejected,
Pain cutting through the heavens,
Abiding within the soul who knows
Even in the painted smile,
The brushed on eyes, the splattered
Dyes faded and worn, in tatters…
A coat that is never warm, but colder
Than the winter storm, like bitterness
Painful and burning through the
Heart who knows that it is the loss
Thrashing inside him, dimming the light
That once kindled his joy, his happiness


It is this cloud that hangs
Across his heart, obscuring hope
With a desperation…
That quiets the glimmers of a
Reflection, both graceful and accepting
The thought of yesterday’s gifts
The love that he lost, the truth he
Never seemed to grasp, the death of his
Bliss, pouring out into seas, oceans
Deep and dark – filled with fear
Dread that seems to settle
Inside his spirit, blending with his
Feelings, becoming a part of him,
So he can surf through the night,
Suffering and enduring the agonizing
Rags of his memories, fleeting
Through a mind tortured with angst
In tatters, Tatters can’t find his way out
From amid the punishment, the past
With its endless doubt, its persecution
And the labored tears that never
Do release him from the grief, the ache

Tatters, the clown, with his painted
On smile and funny garb, 
Is just as dead inside as the child
He buried back before he became…
Tatters, the clown!





TATTERS Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Mystic Rose Rose
January 3, 2023

deathfeelingslonelylost lovefree verse

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Valsa George

January 9, 2023 at 10:29 PM

Once he was so ebullient, greeting everyday with fresh hopes. But time wiped away the cheer from his heart ! Now under the facade of his painted face and smiling countenance, he hides the sighs and tears. You have drawn a moving portrait. Best of luck, Gina!

Sally Eslinger

January 5, 2023 at 4:42 PM

“Rags of his memories.” Gina, for me this reads like a brilliant character description in a poetic-prose genre novella. This feels quite different from your themes i am more familiar with, an here you SHINE! The description is multi-dimensional, complete, involving, a complete contour! Bravo!! New Year hugs, sally

Joanna Daniel

January 4, 2023 at 6:40 AM

Excellent poem, Gina, should place high:)

Caren Krutsinger

January 4, 2023 at 1:02 AM

every single line is exquiste-ly penned my friend.

Bj Legros Kelley

January 3, 2023 at 3:34 PM

This is so sad Regina. Honestly, there was a time when clowns brought so much joy, were so much fun, and now all my children and many of their friends are actually afraid of them. That was never what their hearts had tried to give to others through their art of performance and laughter. I think many of the clowns of yesterday are left in tatters, like Tatters the clown in your sweet poem. Heartfelt, and so very sad.