running along dark twisting paths
she dare not glance behind her
she knows
it is fangs and drool and glowing eyes
that haunt her
she trips but regains her balance
keeps running, keeps running
her skin damp with fear
unwashed hair covers her eyes
how long has she run like this
her terror, his eyes, raging behind her
at times she gains ground
nearly loses him
but those memories always
always find their way back to her trail
like a wolf scenting it’s prey
they, her memories, once took disguise
(as she sought refuge
in her grandmother’s cottage)
but that gravelly,hacking voice
and lolling tongue
and condescending eyes
told her all she needed to know
that even family, blood and bones
couldn’t be trusted
they believed his lies over her reality
(she was just a girl after all,
how could she speak the truth
when the truth was so unbelievable?)
grandmother’s little boy would never bite
and tear a young woman’s thighs
in the light of day he was beautiful
charismatic (with a dash of danger)
yet at night
he howled in her ear
as his claws ripped her flesh again
and again
until one morning when
she drew her red cape about her shoulders
and fled his lace-curtained prison
just as the sun
sleepily pulled itself above the horizon
ten years have passed
and though she had sought release
by shedding light on his evil
disbelief had shrouded their faces
ridiculed and mocked, she took to the forest
to hide her shame and scars
for now she runs ever onward and outward
but she sees a moment in her mind
when, as he nips at her heels, she whirls about
faces him, the memories,
and gobbles them down
to become the past they always were
tara caribou | ©2019
Normally I don’t explain my poetry but this I felt needed a little something said. This riff off “little red riding hood” is the story of a young woman struggling with the memories of molestation. The wolf represents both her memories and the man who repeatedly raped her. Her red cape signifies her transformation into young womanhood in the form of menstruation. Her grandmother, the wolf’s mother and their family as a whole. Her journey through the dark forest is her mental state attempting to run from shame and isolation. But there’s hope. She CAN see a time when she faces those memories and gives them the credence due, meaning she acknowledges their truth but no longer gives them power over her (gobbles them up).
love and light to you all.
Brilliant heartfelt poetry! Great re-working of a classic folktale, with a powerful ending message! 🙂
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Thank you Tom. I consider it more that I took elements of it for artistic purposes.
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I love your unique take on it – great read! 🙂
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Thanks!!
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Such imagery!
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Thank you! I’m glad you liked it.
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You are welcome 🙏
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Wow, what a great view of a common situation. Love it.
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Thank you
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Brilliantly written and the comparison with the old folktale is extraordinary.
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Thank you so very much! I’m happy you enjoyed this.
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Excellent penned Tara 💛
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Thank you so very much.
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A very interesting piece, especially heightening the metaphors of innocence in red riding, to the brutal constructs this world sometimes imposes. Clever seems an obvious complement, but it was weaved in a way that didn’t seem ‘pedestrian’, that you knew the reader knew but the emotions were the focus.
A very revealing pieces of your writing talents….which we’ve all come to know and crave. Thank you for sharing.
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Oh Mark; thank you for your insight and incredibly kind comment. You’re the best.
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Thank you for pieces that make me think.
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👍
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Thanks Frank. Good to see you!
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What a great spin on the story even without you’re explanation, I think the story you told certainly purveyed some of the unfortunate stories of today. Loved it.
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Thanks, I’m glad you did.
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I love this Tara – a powerful tale told with wonderful imagery. You used the fairy tale very effectively – personally I didn’t think you needed the explanation, I thought you did it so well that it all came through in the poem.
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Thanks Andrea. I didn’t think it need explanation either… but so often I feel misunderstood in my writing that I felt compelled to explain.
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