Read Write Poem provided a “wordle” of words for the prompt this week. It’s probably the one of the most challenging prompts for me. The prompt the previous week talked of a “spa” for you poems. It was a great idea: look over your poems and notice what repeats itself; words, style, etc. I did that. Got that far and I noticed that I am most comfortable with haiku and pantoum. I never got to the writing. I see this poem this week as completing last week’s prompt as well: free verse.
The Tale of the Red Footlocker
the one
in the corner
filled with
the decay of secrets
the one
belonging to my mother
her lubricious past
her children cleaned up
eggshells scattered on the
kitchen floor amid
the chunks of frosted cake
the rusted hacksaw
the broken china
as she muttered her
daily patter
a mix of prayer and obscenities
the red footlocker
revealed
her life –
fiction
To see what others have done with this prompt, visit HERE.
Jone Rush MacCulloch 
Great job–one of my favorites for this prompt!
The last word stopped my breath. Your poem is a piece of reality. Wonderfully done.
Jone – this is intense and visual and beautiful. Do you remember William Carlos Williams “The Red Wheelbarrow” … your poem is more than imagery, but the grounding of an object, a color, made this stand out for me.
peace,
JP/deb
I liked where you went with this…your use of the footlocker as a metaphor of where we keep the worst of us. What struck me most was the prayer mixed with obscenities. Nicely done.
-Nicole
That’s a very good glimpse in the center. The children cleaning up after her, prayer mixed with obscenities.
I enjoyed the darkness to this. Nicely done!
Pamela