Monday, April 5, 2010

Notre père indifférent

In the secret garden
hidden behind this gate,
you are still known for gentleness and love.
The colors there are softer,
the accents more refined,
and I so long to visit there --
but this gate's been stuck for decades;
I can only peer through the words
and wish I were a child again,
walking hand in hand with you,
in that time before I came to know
the difference --
or perhaps it was indifference --
between the man I thought you were
and who he came to be...

I wish I could say "Vive la Difference!"
but we both know it's nothing
I will ever want to celebrate,
and so I skip that first line
every time I say the prayer.


This poem was written both for the One Word at a Time Blog Carnival (this month's word is Gentleness) and for the Carry on Tuesday prompt, which, this week, was "Vive La Difference!"

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10 comments:

Gemma Wiseman said...

A slightly intrimidating, "dark secret" imbues this poem with an almost Gothic eeriness! fascinating!

Glynn said...

The contrast of what's inside and what's outside the gate -- a powerful metaphor. And a powerful poem.

Maureen said...

Diane,

Still catching my breath on this one. . .

Great integration of the two prompts.

Anonymous said...

So much said so succinctly - that is truly amazing.

Kathleen Overby said...

"Peering through words" ~ I felt like I was behind bars with you. Evoked empathy.

Anonymous said...

So much emotion. Beautifully written. Thank you, Diane.

Duane Scott said...

Lots of emotion portrayed through this post. Very well written!

Unknown said...

I love the raw emotion of this poem.
Thanks for sharing.
Peace,
Jay

George S Batty said...

Old Grizz was mezmerized with this poem. I found it haunting but somewhat confusing. I think that is OK because any poetry that I have come to really like has taken some thought. This is very well written. I have come to the conclusion that the man behind the gate is your father.

Louise Gallagher said...

Diane, as with all your writing, thought-provoking, evocative and beautiful.

The imagery is harsh and stunning all in one.