she wore her hearton her sleeve,
embroidered scarlet
in crewel yarn,
a talisman
to ward off suitors
whose reality
might breach
her boundaries,
sweep away her
illusion of control,
replacing genuine passion
for lovelorn fantasy.
©sgreerpitt
Saturday October 10, 2009
I did, in point of fact, embroider a red heart on the sleeve of my denim work shirt in college, a reaction to a something a young man said to me. Although I did not recognize what the talisman meant at that time.
For other poems on the prompt "talisman" see One Single Impression.
Art work by sgreerpitt.
19 comments:
An important message in this. Great words.
Wishing love over everything else .... this is a really neat post, Sue.
Thank you for being able to put feelings in words. Beautiful.
And pictures too.
I never could figure out why wearing one's heart on one's sleeve is not an appropriate place for it.
It's visible that one has one.
It's accessible for all who care to join it.
It's a beautiful symbol of hope.
Thank you for sharing this sweet piece of your life, Sue. We do mature into knowing that our hearts seem to not be always safe. It takes a lot more living to realize that they are always safe.
Love to you!
good points, Beth. I always assumed the phrase to be a criticism of being overly emotional, overly dramatic, or making a show of feeling, rather than something truly sincere. As a young woman I defied that criticism by being even more openly emotional and demonstrative -- but in retrospect I can see that in doing so, I was really building walls and making myself much less approachable.
You expressed yourself beautifully in this poem...lovely.
Your way of expression impresses me!
Wonderful work :)
What an interesting inversion of the idea of wearing your heart on your sleeve. So much a communication with the self as well as others.
Sue, this piece is truly fine - it speaks of the fear of pain. Wonderful.
A very nice poem. I love the ideas it contains. I had to laugh at your literal act of embroidering a heart on your sleeve! I too have felt the negative connotation of this phrase taking it to mean one is too sensitive. How nice to think of it in postive terms. I would never have guessed that Shakespear was the one who coined the phrase and with such an opposite meaning!
A good thought here. I would not have fitted the item sewn on a sleeve as a talisman.
How about the U.S. flag? Initially I would think it would help produce a spirit of national pride. Then to be taken for granted later.
..
Love that underlying message..
solidified
Please don't forget to post your creative works at Monday Poetry Train Revisited too each Monday morning!
Ah, this sweeps me back in time. I was often told I had an "invisible wall" up... I like how you took a saying and creating a poem using the prompt, complete with your own history of embroidering and more background info in the current post. Thanks!
the tenderness of love
or fear of loosing control
so many feelings and fears all tangled up
under the guize of love
wonderful piece
Oh, this is beautiful Sue. Such a unique look at this prompt. I love stopping by...
Don't look now, Sue, but your creative side is showing!!
a wonderful post ..
many thanks ..
I always wear my heart on my sleeve, so to speak. This is a beautiful poem.
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