Thursday, November 2, 2017

Feral Ink


She pealed the flesh
from her poems
until all that was left
was the sapphire night
of revelation.

The bones of her desires
burnt on tongues silly enough
to speak words pillaged
from every mistake
she claimed as freedom.

In her chorus of hims
she broke broad chests
into ribs too weak to carry
the boldness of a woman
who listed demands before
she melted into a fever.

Her poetry didn’t bleed submission
or spills sighs collected from inadequate.
It was raw claw marks through pink words
that looked pretty framed, but couldn’t
stand up to feral ink.


©Susie Clevenger 2017


Word list I used:
desires
night
flesh
poems

21 comments:

  1. Oh my god.. this is so incredibly feisty!💘 Love, love, love "In her chorus of hims she broke broad chests into ribs too weak to carry the boldness of a woman who listed demands before she melted into a fever" ..Beautifully executed!💘

    ReplyDelete
  2. First I do love that title... and the totally sucked in with that first stanza... I think that poems has to start from bones actually.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Yes, they do and sometimes when I get too much flesh in them I have to take it back to bones.

      Delete
  3. yep. you have pretty bones Susie! and by bones i mean poems. feral can still be pretty when penned by you. and i didn't even get scratch marks from leaning in. i'm feeling pretty feverish myself, lady (literally with a head cold today) and enjoyed your brainchild. but, how long will you bring me my fears (Hand maid's tale)??? you trying to de-sensitize me?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you.. I created the site to write from my darker/rebellious side. The Handmaid’s Tale pushed me to speak up more. No desensitizing intended. :)

      Delete
  4. The bold and rebellious woman, only a few can handle.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That first line brilliantly set the tone for this feisty poem!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is a hot read. sTANZA 3 IS MY FAVOURITE

    MUCH LOVE...

    ReplyDelete
  7. When I read strong feminist poetry I smile a little smile and think that it is about time the tables were turned. There is still a long way to go but it will happen eventually in so many fields.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you... We must continue to speak up, act out, work toward change. It's a battle that is filled with the agony of Deja Vu.

      Delete
  8. Strong! The best kind of strong ~~~~

    ReplyDelete
  9. A powerful poem, Susie, especially the first and last stanzas - it's definitely a poem of flesh and bones. I love the idea of 'raw claw marks' that can't 'stand up to feral ink'!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you.. I have been contemplating the strength of women lately.

      Delete
  10. Wow! That last sentence is inspired!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Watch out, this one has claws! I *love* this!
    Also.... Trixie Whitley, yippee!! Gosh I was a huge fan of her late father and she is so wonderful. Yay!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I just discovered Trixie when I was looking for a song for my poem. She is awesome!

      Delete