I found a little poem
crying on the floor
whose dark-chocolate eyes were filled with tears
whose center was cleanly torn
her crumpled edges,
clothed in rejection
stained through
nip to nave
have I
written on you?
her ruffled sketches
filled with dejection.
Words stacked on one another.
her checkered face
her spackled skin
felt worse than plain
written for a love
in ink lipstick
unperfect
unlovely
I cradled this poem in my arms
carried it forward in my heart.
In my pocket.
The misfit.
The jewel.
I love it. It is me when I find something written by someone even it's only a doodle in notes.
The closing stanza of this poem really moved me: the tenderness the speaker displays is poignant but it's the closing two lines that cinch the deep emotion: the misfit / the jewel. To find something so valuable in something discarded is in itself a poetic act. Of course, the impact of the ending was prepared by the preceding lines, and I like the way you personified the napkin, especially its chocolate eyes. The word poet means maker and we do make our poems. But in this instance, you found something thrown away, just a piece of trash, and re-made it into something wonderful.
I read On the Back of a Napkin TWICE so I didn't miss one word! Your imagery is concise and on point... simply put, PROUNDLY beautiful! Very nice! I LOVE this piece!
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
I love this! Beautiful wording and so symbolic, keep writing!