I am excited to share that I have two poems included in the new Anthology of Poetry called Hidden in Childhood edited by Gabriela Marie Milton. It is available for purchase now on Amazon. Below I am sharing the first poem Case Closed.

Case Closed

You carry melancholy in a suitcase full of hope It is a familiar travel companion Hope may find joy but ultimately it leaves you Knowing deep in your soul pessimism rules In abandoned dreams from long ago is where you find yourself The trust in parents to protect and love Your well-being discarded Forgotten While their emotional wars are waged relentlessly You, played like a pawn Their flawed wisdom damaging all Misguided by upbringing You are what you are taught A product of the toxic environment in which you live You surrendered everything for love and it played on your vulnerability for happiness The suitcase remains closed like your heart Copyright © 2023 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved Image by ArtTower from Pixabay
Congratulations
Thanks Bernadette ☺️💕
I am thrilled you trusted us with your beautiful poetry Christine. Thank you.
Dear Gabriela I am the one thanking you for for being so generous. May you make many sales of this wonderful book ☺️❤️
Thank you so much Christine.
Such a beautiful poem!
Thank you so much! That means a lot to me Luisa, thank you 🥰
It’s well deserved praise! 🙂🙏❣️
This is excellent, Christine! You took one line and ran with it.
Thank you so much 😊 I enjoyed this one
Oh, this is simply wonderful! Perfect way to use that line …..
Thanks Helen! I appreciate it very much ☺️
“You surrendered everything for love and it played on your vulnerability for happiness. The suitcase remains closed like your heart,”… this is such a deeply poignant poem, Christine! 💝 It speaks to me of someone who has encountered another .. typically of aloof, dispassionate nature. These people only bring half of themselves to the table.
Thank you Sanaa. You are very kind ☺️💕. You always say such lovely things and I am so appreciative. Yes, she did and she is so closed off that when the right one comes along she is locked tight like the suitcase (see the prompt poem) Thank yo7 again my friend ☺️💕
I read somewhere that the pessimist might actually be happier than the optimist because the pessimist will often be positively surprised… let’s hope it works like that.
I always remember someone saying to me that we should always think the worst and anything else would be a bonus. It’s kind of sad but perhaps you would avoid disappointment.
The first stanza tells me so much about this person. And then….the ending….”the suitcase remains closed like your heart.”
I find it especially effective that the writer is telling about this person….making judgements that indicate s/he knows the person so well. There’s a finality to the personality of this person with those ending words. There is no “getting in”….the person is closed off with those final words.
I really enjoyed this response to the prompt.
You are so kind Lillian and you read it so well. I wrote it before reading the prompt poem. The quote captured me. When I did reveal it, I could see the frustrations of the other party and so I was pleased about that because my instinct was correct. My blog is Poetry for Healing so there is always a little of myself in my poetry. Not always, just enough to share with others so they know someone out there can relate. 💕☺️
Absolutely beautiful the words are put together very well continue go write loved it
Thank you so much ☺️ I appreciate it 💕
Oh, those 2 closing lines so perfectly nail the entire (extra fine) poem. Perfect response to the prompt.
Thanks so much Ron. I really appreciate your kind words, always. ☺️
This is a sad story which I fear is told often. You tell it very well and this was a fine response to the prompt.
P.S. Yay! No sad face this time 🙂 I tried to comment last time but couldn’t.
I got your earlier comment. You seem to be having a similar problem to me. A lot of the time I get a response from WP that I cannot comment. When I use the app it seems to reject more times than not. 😕 Anyway, yours both came through, thank you! ☺️
Thank you Ingrid. It means a lot ☺️
You do this so well, Christine! Loved the opening as well as the closing line! 💕🙂
Oh you’re too kind Punam. Thank you 🥰
My pleasure! 🥰
Perfect 3:30am insomnia read, it won’t help me sleep but I loved each line.
Thank you so much ☺️ I hope you get back to sleep Zzzzzz
Beautiful!
Thanks Sadje 🥰
You’re welcome 😉
Powerful stuff. Love the opening of this
Thank you so much ☺️