the world passes us by
though i may not say it...
photo by Alexas_Fotos at pixabay
the world passes us by
this is my wife
see how she has aged
in two years
today
i see her
shoulders hunched
over the washing machine
hauling wet clothes
into the spinner
it was not like this
she used to be
so confident
so assured
now perhaps
we worry about things
like rent, or food
she sees that pretty dress
in the window display
and she walks away
or she sees me
rushing off to do
some meaningless jobs
missing my breakfast
mumbling at trains, buses
she scans the job ads
or calls a friend
today i haul the clothes
into the washing machine
she sleeps
she is tired
the world passes us by
as the machine spins.
25/05/2021
**********
Shared at Friday Writings #5.
Walk In Darkness - Bent by Storms and Dreams
© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2021
the world passes us by
this is my wife
see how she has aged
in two years
today
i see her
shoulders hunched
over the washing machine
hauling wet clothes
into the spinner
it was not like this
she used to be
so confident
so assured
now perhaps
we worry about things
like rent, or food
she sees that pretty dress
in the window display
and she walks away
or she sees me
rushing off to do
some meaningless jobs
missing my breakfast
mumbling at trains, buses
she scans the job ads
or calls a friend
today i haul the clothes
into the washing machine
she sleeps
she is tired
the world passes us by
as the machine spins.
25/05/2021
**********
Shared at Friday Writings #5.
Walk In Darkness - Bent by Storms and Dreams
© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2021
posted by dsnake1 at 1:06 AM
19 Comments:
A tale at once very personal and speaking for many –reminding me of what an old mentor once told me: the personal is the universal. And I love all the emotion that is in the unsaid yet clearly discernible. I think this is a little masterpiece! (Though I do wonder what relation that nice teddy has to the poem.)
Sometimes the mundane drabness of life gets us down. Look for the bright spots!
Rosemary,
Thank you!
sometimes, i think my poetry are just too personal. There are some that are holding me back from posting. I thought this one was a tad too personal too, but i let it loose on the net. :)
the nice teddy bear? See that gloomy background? I thought it was a good picture to accompany this.
Beverly,
Thank you!
Things are looking up! :)
Ah yes! I am rather fond of toy teddy bears (and have a bit of a collection). I was so focused on the bear, I quite missed the background. Tsk!
You have a washing machine...beats scrubbing clothes in the river. Love your personal poetry...keep writing personal poems
Rosemary,
I know, I have seen your collection of toy teddy bears in one of your posts. The bear in the picture of my post is really cute. :)
Rall,
Thank you!
A long time ago, we were scrubbing clothes by the public pipes in our village. There was no running water in the house.
yeah, maybe i will write more personal poems. :)
There is a sadness weaved into every line and in the poem as a whole. The couple is together and even close, but at the same time their lives seem like a circle. By the time I finished reading, I began to wonder about the wife... Does she watch her husband like he watches her? Do the ever do the washing together?
Magaly,
Thank you!
It's good that you feel the sadness in the poem. It is supposed to make one feel that. This poem is more about the hard living and drudgery one encounters in a major city. Go to every city and one will see some of these. There are some personal experiences woven into this poem.
I like the last line that sums it up: "the world passes us by
as the machine spins."
I sometimes feel this way and sometimes I feel like I have to make it my world that conforms to me. I hope to look back on it all to say it was worth riding the spinning machine.
I hope yours is as well.
I loved your poem, the sadness of it, but also the way you brought the two characters together seamlessly. :-)
Greetings from London.
J M,
Thank you!
Sometimes, things don't seem to go your way, and the world, and time, don't wait for you. We will just try to do the best we can. It's good to look back on it all, and say it was all worth the ride. That's the hope we are all looking for. :)
Mario,
Thank you!
the poem is sad but really, all is not lost. :)
This is poignant and beautiful.
Thank you, magiceye! :)
There is weariness here, but I can't help but be drawn to the tenderness between the couple. I see how love tightly fills the small spaces.
Rommy,
Thank you!
yes, it is love that is holding them together.
We all have those moments of "sight" when we see the writing on the wall and that things have changed and will change still. It takes bravery to be human. I like the grounding of the washing machine and that you shared the burden of it.
Thank you, Colleen,
I think the image of the washing machine is quite central to the poem. it tells of change, and yet nothing seems to have changed. :)
I really enjoyed this. Love the opening and the ending lines, the portrait of the wife, and the imagery of the washing machine. I totally identify
JYP,
Thank you!
a poem written from some personal experience about the sometimes drudgery we went through.
Have a Happy New Year! :)
Post a Comment
<< Home