Battle weary and scarred Yet neither side retreats Surrender off the table Warring sides of lovers Ugly and vicious Fighting for life For dignity For children For peace that never comes because there is no winner in a conflict of emotions Lawyers will ultimately award the prize of lost dreams Copyright © 2021 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing All Rights Reserved Bjorn is hosting D'Verse Poets Pub tonight and has prompted us with 'War" Image by Iván Tamás from Pixabay
Senryu Flexibility in a love relationship Both of you will win Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing ©
Ever changing circle of life and love Growing and evolving with respect and honor Giving and receiving Supporting and leaning Loving and hating Sometimes crashing and burning with resentment and bitterness Futile arguments Begrudging compromise Sending each other in different directions Searching for emotional life rafts A place to breathe and heal from stinging words of anger hurled without thought More harshly spoken than truth in their meaning Uneven edges of a puzzle trying to fit any which way Sharp corners slicing softness leaving bloody lesions Healing but scarring Forever reminders of imperfections on each side of the equation A never-ending challenge Learning to live and love as one Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing © Word Prompts Futile - Word of the Day Begrudge - FOWC
What happened to you?
Spouting allegations
I recognize you no more
You are a strange aberration
Like a two headed monster
With whom am I dealing
An anomaly of a man
Who can leave me reeling
Unable to collect myself
when you turn on a dime
My feelings muddled
Being slow is now a crime
Confidence has been lost
I bounce off your arrogance
Spinning and confused
I doubt my relevance
Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing ©
In response to V. J's Weekly Challenge - Anomaly
Image by Mystic Art Design from Pixabay
You are lonely you say, but you are with me
Settling for the status quo, you say, but you are with me
You are not where you want to be
Not alone, but not with me
Enamored with the thought of being with someone
But not with me
You had it once before, you said
But not with me
Is it a dream or a wish that you have?
But never of me
Maybe a desire for someone, anyone
But not for me
Am I a just a convenience? A replacement?
Sorry, that’s not me
I am not what you want
Because I am me
Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing ©
Image by
Natálie Šteyerová from Pixabay
Grace at D'Verse Poets is supporting our Poetry Form Ghazal which was hosted by Gay Cannon two weeks ago. A Ghazal is a poem that is made up like an odd numbered chain of couplets, where each couplet is an independent poem. It should be natural to put a comma at the end of the first line. The Ghazal has a refrain of one to three words that repeat, and an inline rhyme that preceedes the refrain. Lines 1 and 2, then every second line, has this refrain and inline rhyme, and the last couplet should refer to the authors pen-name… The rhyming scheme is AA bA cA dA eA etc.
Our communication
is lacking, it’s almost nonexistent
Your attitude is that of
a scalded cat
When can we have a
conversation?
Surely we can do better
than that?
A hot tin roof
is where you’ve been
Time to come down
and settle the score
Harmony is what we need
in our relationship
Like it was
once before
Stop moving away from me
as if I’m not here
You are acting like
a stranger
Someone I don’t know
Come on darling talk to me
We are in clear
and present danger
Christine Bolton – Poetry for Healing ©
Word Prompts:
Negotiate
Now let’s get this straight
I don’t want a debate
My intentions are clear
I am not going to disappear
I just need to be heard
Deep emotions have been stirred
Stop the finger pointing
It has become so annoying
Childish in its approach
You are not beyond reproach
It’s time to discuss
The future of us
Where do we go from here
More fighting is what I fear
The situation has started to frustrate
It is now time to negotiate
What is your currency going to be
Would you rather be right than happy
Wishing we both had a switch
That we could flip when there’s a glitch
Emotions difficult to navigate
Let’s just try to mitigate
Our differences are surmountable
As long as we are both accountable
Christine Bolton
Posted in response to Tales of The Mind of Kristian, Word of the Day: NEGOTIATE
Opposites attract
Looking ill at ease
Their differences obvious
Like chalk and cheese
Their ability is
To look within
Their similarities
Is where they begin
Their outsides are
Merely just an overcoat
Which can be shed
Without anyone’s vote
Unaffected by the inconsistency
Of their packaging
They unite in harmony
Rising above remarks so damaging
Fearless fighters
Overcoming adversity
They protect each other
Ignoring the absurdity
Their heads held high
They partner side by side
Looking an odd pair
With noting to hide
Love is blind
But they see so clearly
The heart of each other
Given so sincerely
Christine Bolton
Biting the hand that feeds us
I heard a news story just the other day that the owner of a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa had been severely mauled by a lion, that he hand-reared from a cub, in a ghastly attack witnessed and filmed by staff and his tourist/clients.The graphic video showed the owner entering the lion’s enclosure and suddenly the lion started running towards him in a threatening manner. The owner tried to get back to the gate but the lion reached him before he could escape and dragged him towards the bushes. The lion began to maul its owner to the horrifying screams of the witnesses.
The good news is the owner is alive and recuperating in hospital with a broken jaw and neck injuries. The sad news is the lion was killed. It appears that the owner was investigating a strange smell in the enclosure that had been upsetting the lion for several days. If only the animal could have communicated what the problem was, right? Well, of course he couldn’t, he was a wild animal. Reared in captivity but still wild by nature.
This story made me realize how tenuous any relationship can be regardless of the species and the love that is shown. Whether a long term partnership or a brief one, there is the possibility of irreparable damage to the relationship for one or the other involved. It can be as simple as drifting away from each other through indifference or as severe as an abusive situation. What is it about us, as a species, that we allow this to happen? In the case of the lion and its owner there was love and respect between them, but there was a language barrier. Between humans there is no excuse. We have the ability to speak. When something disgruntles us or makes us unhappy, as with the lion and the bad smell, we at least, can communicate that verbally. The lion did not have that opportunity. As a result he lost his life and his loving owner ended up in the hospital. In my humble opinion talking to our spouses and partners about everything, good or bad, is the life-blood of a relationship. Communication leads to love, respect and the understanding of each other’s feelings and enables us to grow together. If only the lion and the man had that ability.
Biting The Hand That Feeds Us
Mysterious and wild
Beautiful and brave
The king of the jungle
Went to his grave
He was just a cub
When he was bottle-fed
Raised lovingly in captivity
Until he ended up dead
He loved his owner
And that feeling was shared
Until the fateful day
When his owner got scared
Their eyes locked for a moment
But the message was not understood
One started to advance
The other ran as fast as he could
The hand that fed him
Was about to be bitten
The wild in the animal
Showed he was no longer a kitten
The king was the hunter
The man became the prey
No good would come of this
There were no debts to repay
The man is a mere mortal
An the lion is a beast
So a lesson to be learned
Is that man was almost the feast
Christine Bolton
As a former owner and lover of horses, and understanding the unique bond that is formed between human and animal, discovering this poem many years ago meant so much to me. It was powerful and mysterious. It reminded me of the respect which is required in order for the two to work as one. It also made clear that one does not own the other.
The author is unknown but through a little research I found that it possibly relates to a desert horse in Africa. However when I read it, it conjures up a vision of a Native American in full warrior dress riding bareback on a painted pony.
I am your equal
I am a wild creature that can never be like you
I have heart, courage, and the game spirit that is my heritage
And I will be respected
I will be taught, and I will please, And maybe in time I will be your intimate
But I will never be your possession
Mine is a fierce love, which knows no mercy for failure
No sympathy for weakness
I have come from the desert with its closeness to the spirit of nature
Which you do not understand
I was born of the Wind
Mine is a warrior spirit
I cannot be humiliated in
punishment or defeated even in death
For my spirit lives on in my children’s children
Unknown