Insight – A Palinode

Part 1 - Misunderstood  (Prior Poem)

Your eyes no longer hide the truth
They have become the lens
to your dark soul
The bitterness written
between the lines of your face
Chiseled deep into the crevices
where it now resides
Dragging the once curve of a smile
into a permanent scowl
The magnitude of your suffering
living on display for all to see
Your strange, misunderstood past
responsible for a demeanor 
that pushes friendship away
Making it impossible for anyone
to come close so they might
know more of your story and pain
Part 2 - Insight

What a difference a day can make
The light in your eyes
flickers ever so slightly
A weight carried heavily
on your weary shoulders
is now a little lighter 
Shadows of a smile
can be seen more often
as hope returns to your closed heart
Opening it wider to receive
the good blessings being
showered on you once more
Friends never left you
Remaining on the periphery
of your life for when
you needed them most

 
Copyright © 2021 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing
All Rights Reserved

Grace is hosting Meet at the Bar at D'Verse Poets tonight
and has prompted us with a Palinode.
A palinode or palinody is an ode or song that retracts or
recants a view or sentiment to what the poet wrote in a previous poem. 
The writing challenge is to write a palinode. This can be in relation
to a poem you have written before (please link or include prior poem),
or as part of poem e.g. Palinode by Monica Youn.

Image by Hier und jetzt endet leider meine Reise auf Pixabay 😢 from Pixabay 

  26 comments for “Insight – A Palinode

  1. May 9, 2021 at 10:18 pm

    I love your poem response of hope and healing! Well done Christine!

    • Christine Bolton
      May 10, 2021 at 7:43 am

      Thank you Dwight. I’m happy you liked it ☺️

      • May 10, 2021 at 9:23 am

        You are welcome!

  2. May 9, 2021 at 1:01 pm

    I like how you turned this around and gave hope back to the hopeless, Christine!

    • Christine Bolton
      May 9, 2021 at 2:06 pm

      Thank you Ingrid ☺️

  3. May 9, 2021 at 10:55 am

    I love the positive turn for something better… often when it’s darkest there is a friend somewhere to lead you to the light.

    • Christine Bolton
      May 9, 2021 at 12:26 pm

      Yes, amazing how that happens ☺️ Thank you ☺️

  4. sanaarizvi
    May 8, 2021 at 3:30 pm

    This is gorgeously rendered, Christine 😀 I admire the contrasting shades of both the poems .. and the optimism of the second. Hope.. I believe.. can make a huge difference. 💝💝

    • Christine Bolton
      May 8, 2021 at 5:13 pm

      Thank you dear Sanaa ☺️💕 in the end there is always hope 🥰👍

  5. May 7, 2021 at 9:47 pm

    I like the optimistic and joyful tone of the second part, versus the first part. Such a difference a good day can make to lift up one’s spirits.

    • Christine Bolton
      May 7, 2021 at 11:16 pm

      Thanks Grace. I now know what a Palinode is! Thank you for the prompt ☺️💕🌺

  6. May 7, 2021 at 9:10 am

    Well done.

    • Christine Bolton
      May 7, 2021 at 5:39 pm

      Thank you Regina ☺️💕🌺

  7. May 7, 2021 at 7:37 am

    Love this. I didn’t know what it was called, but I find doing this with old poems is healing.

    • Christine Bolton
      May 7, 2021 at 8:43 am

      Yes it is! The original poem is usually about some angst we or someone close to us was experiencing. So to go back and look at it differently is a form of healing. Thanks VJ ☺️💕🌺

      • May 7, 2021 at 9:35 am

        It really is. You are welcome.

  8. May 7, 2021 at 12:04 am

    Very well written

    • Christine Bolton
      May 7, 2021 at 8:46 am

      Thank you dear friend ☺️💕🌺

      • May 7, 2021 at 9:25 am

        You’re welcome 😉

  9. May 6, 2021 at 10:29 pm

    Christine, your two sides to a coin are wonderfully contrasted. Perspective is everything!

    • Christine Bolton
      May 7, 2021 at 8:49 am

      Lisa thank you so much. It was good to go back and revisit an old poem look at it from another viewpoint. ☺️

      • May 7, 2021 at 2:36 pm

        You’re most welcome, Christine.

  10. May 6, 2021 at 9:06 pm

    So glad we have the ability to grow in this life and even one day can make all the difference! Nice palinode! 💯

    • Christine Bolton
      May 7, 2021 at 5:33 pm

      Thank you Tricia. If my response is duplicated I apologize. I thought I answered you this morning. I agree with you. Sometimes life is just too dark for some people and looking at things another day can make all the difference ☺️💕🌺

      • May 7, 2021 at 6:24 pm

        Yes! Especially as my hormones tend to fluctuate in mid-life, haha! ❤

      • Christine Bolton
        May 7, 2021 at 11:16 pm

        Yes right? Lol 😌

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