Sobbing Silently, the Child Cried
I asked the moon why it was blue
And it winked and laughed softly
I asked the water why it was blue
And the waves crashed
I asked the child why do you cry?
And it sobbed silently
I asked the shoes to dance
And it tap, tapped, shuffle, stepped
I asked the shoes to dance
And it did and the world echoed
I asked the rabbits why do you dance
And they sashayed and boxed
I asked myself where am I going
And the road twisted
The shoes danced
The child sobbed
And I kept quiet.
And everything was the same.
*Photograph http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003654924/
I really like your use of the vintage photograph as writing prompt; your poem had an "Alice in Wonderland" feel to it. Unanswered questions let readers interpret what they will. Lovely piece!
ReplyDeleteFirst, what a great image. I so want to know what happened right before and right after this photo was taken! Then what a brilliant idea to pair it with a poem. I keep rereading your poem and more images enter my mind. Thanks for sharing both a way to be inspired to write and a thought provoking poem,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this poem, the idea of using the picture as inspiration, and just as I wondered how you could wrap it up in a satisfying way, there it was the most fitting close:
ReplyDeleteI asked myself where am I going
And the road twisted
The shoes danced
The child sobbed
And I kept quiet.
And everything was the same.
<3 Love it
Amy thank you for letting me know what connections you made. As a writer I always doubt and question myself.
ReplyDeleteLove the poignancy of the words, and the picture adds to the image you'd already painted, Ruth. And I enjoyed the repetition-lovely poem.
ReplyDeleteI love pictures and making connections. For me it shows so many possibilities.
ReplyDeleteYou can find lots of pictures at the Library of Congress. This one came from there.
ReplyDeleteI love the resources at the LoC! Smithsonian is great for them, too. We've recently acquired Britannica's Imagequest in our database collection for our district, and I'm having a ball using those pictures as fodder for my Wonder Wall in the library.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very powerful poem, full of great imagery for the reader.
ReplyDeleteI am not familiar with Britannica's Imagequest. I will have to check that out.
ReplyDelete