Wednesday 1 February 2023

πŸ§… Almost a Year.............

The onion is his head, the roots
 his wispy hair. She takes the knife

and runs it down his cheek,

sloughing the crackling skin.

The kitchen window is misted

from the borsch in the pan.

By candlelight, she peels back

the gilded skin and deposits it

in the peelings bin. Why is his face

so featureless? She takes the tip

of the knife and carves beady eyes

and a slit of pouting mouth.

It's almost a year, and she's survived

this long, despite the evil onion.

She trims the roots and flattens

them down, remarking to herself

how earless he is. Just the fumes

of this tyrant can make her cry.

He's alive now, a pale face that gloats

as her country floats in darkness.

Calmly, she takes the knife and slices

him six times this way

and six times the other, then

six times, to be certain, from ear to ear.

She picks up the board and slides

his remains into the borsch


that bubbles with homely goodness -

something to nourish the kids,

a recipe her mother taught her.        

courtesy eldest son
    πŸ§…  
Apologies for not replying to comments on the previous post. 
Due to family reasons I shall not be visiting blogs, making comments, or writing any posts. 
Will return, hopefully, sooner rather than later.

16 comments:

  1. Part way through, I knew I was dealing with Ukraine. The country has found a voice through your eldest son, Rosemary. Hope to see you back with us soon.

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  2. Another great and thoughtful poem from your son. Yes, nearly a year of war and resistance. I hope all is well with your family and you will be back in the blogosphere soon.

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  3. I send you my thoughts, dear Rosemary, and hope that all will get better in time. Britta

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  4. Return soon Rosemary and hopefully your family reasons are not major.
    Gosh the poem of your sons is just so well thought out and written, sure sends a message - well done.

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  5. Wishing you and yours all the best during this time, Rosemary. Thank you for sharing this poem from your son - nearly a year - so difficult.

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  6. Your son is a truly gifted poet, such stunning words Rosemary. Sending kind thoughts and good wishes, and trust we will see you when you are ready.

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  7. That is lovely and, for some reason :) makes me think of Putin!

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  8. Hello Rosemary, So many difficulties in this world, both personal and in the news. I send my best wishes for you and your family, and hope to see you back again active soon.
    --Jim

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  9. A fine poem. I just read it as that, line by line, not even thinking about the underlying subject until near the end.

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  10. Dearest Rosemary,
    Can we help? Can I help?

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  11. Very well written! A thoughtful poem...
    Oh I hope you will be back soon. Take care now Rosemary!
    Titti

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  12. I love the poem, very clever. I hope all is well.

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  13. What a thoughtful and evocative poem, strange and a little disturbing. I hope you will be back soon, Rosemary, and please stay well.

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  14. Dearest Rosemary - Bob and I are thinking of you and hoping all is well with you, J and your lovely family.
    Hope to see you back here very soon - meanwhile sending love and hugs.

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  15. First there were computer problems, then the new computer and finally a learning curve for the new software. I had been anxious to catch up with one of my favorite bloggers. The onion poem by your son is cleverly created and I will be sharing it with one of my poet friends. Sending you and your famly my heartfelt thoughts for better times ahead, Rosemary.

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“You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you - you have to go to them sometimes”

― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh