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