Black Ribbon Poem by Sandra Martyres
Black Ribbon
A little packet arrived
Tied with a black ribbon
An ominous sign it bore
The name and address
Was almost illegible
Yet the young girl
Accepted it happily
Assuming that it
Was a birthday gift
From her missing Dad
He had been gone
Mysteriously for
A very long time
And her Mom had
Not offered any
Kind of explanation
She just refused
To talk about him
Leaving the little
Child bewildered
Not waiting for her
Mother to return
She carefully untied
The black ribbon
Unwrapped the
Brown paper
To find a little
Black box and in it
Was a tiny locket
Pinned to an untidy note
But before she could
Open it there was
A knock on the door
The courier man
Completely shaken
Had returned
The box was not
Meant to be delivered
To her but handed over
Only to her Mother
The little girl refused
To return the box
She gripped it firmly
And screamed aloud
That it was a present
From her dear Dad
He had never
Forgotten her birthday
So it just had
To be for her
The Drama continued
Until her Mother
Returned home
And took the parcel
Now it was her turn
To cry out aloud
The locket contained
No picture, just a few
Drops of what looked
Like dried blood
The scribbled note read
“By the time this
Reaches you
I will be dead
Ensure that
Our little girl
Knows nothing
And remembers me
Always as her dear
And loving Daddy”
It is a gift not meant for her, but for her mother. And the gift turned out to be the truth not meant for her, the truth that is bitter. A thought provoking story.
A poetic drama packed with pathos and suspense till the end. CP
I agree with all: a touching, heartrending and thoughtful piece. Nicely done, Sandra. You do have a talent for the narrative. :)
A nice and unique story written and shared my friend....well delivered! Touching one indeed!
Like those in earlier days who hid the fact of adoption from their children, preferring to pretend, so in this sad poem you share the awful consequences of concealment when tragedy touches a family. The black ribbon is strong symbol for the black tale you tell about a little girl who believed in a lie. An emotionally strong poem. Love, Allie ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
You set a wonderful atmosphere of foreboding, leaving the reader wanting more details of this mysterious and tragic death. -c
I thought there was a bomb in the box. The narration is excellent and gripping...
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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12/7/2025 9:29:07 PM # 1.0.0
Hiding disturbing facts from children, only makes it harder to bear when the truth inevitably comes out. You have written a sad poem quite beautifully.