Penelope

[Dark Muse]

Penelope

The bitterness of years
settled into her once noble heart,
eyes once so full of passion
and shining with devotional love
became gradually empty and sad.

Her youth ebbed away
in a persistent agony,
by threads she held on to her dignity
sacrificing herself and a chance
to rediscover happiness
for the sake of a man.

Now lying in bed beside her,
the one for so many years
she called husband,
no longer gives her joy.

The traces of betrayal
revealed themselves
traced in the lines of his face
caught in the eye,
a subtle change of manner,
the words left unsaid.

She lives with the truth
that her own painful fidelity
was dashed into ashes,
no longer can she bear his touch
without a cinching of nausea,
she would cry if there were any
tears left.

Her fingers begin to inch
toward the knife feeling the
weight of cold steal,
drawing a sharp breath.

After so many years it
was time she tasted freedom,
why leave the world to men
while women must be the
noble, faithful, downtrodden.

She seized the day
and plunged the dagger
in, cutting through the heart
she held so long only to
discover it had been untrue.

[tailor STATELY]

Strong poem. The only exception being I found the last verse a bit ambiguous (my failing most likely).

Otherwise, your words cut well.

[Dark Muse]

Thank you, and you are right about the last verse. I had considered the ambiguousness of it, but I decided to leave it that way, as it offers two different possibilities for final conclusion.

[adityasam]

This poem reminds me of my sister who was once so noble, but was victimized and showed the feelings which you described. Great Poem. Thank you for enlightening me.

:party:

[hillwalker]

Yet another thought-provoking piece - and I took it that you chose Penelope to symbolise all those 'under-valued partners' who take a poor second place to their Odysseus's ambition.

'a cinching of nausea' is a very powerful phrase.

H

[Dark Muse]

Yet another thought-provoking piece - and I took it that you chose Penelope to symbolise all those 'under-valued partners' who take a poor second place to their Odysseus's ambition.

'a cinching of nausea' is a very powerful phrase.

H

Thank you, and this poem is acutally about the Penelope from The Odessey, it is my way of seeing things from her point of view.

[Jassy Melson]

It's about time that someone wrote something from Penelope's point of view. Her faithfulness is sort of glossed over in the Odyssey. You have brought out the truth of the situation. Something like John Gardner did with his work Grendal. I love the last stanza. I don't think it's ambigious at all. I am glad she did it.

[Dark Muse]

It's about time that someone wrote something from Penelope's point of view. Her faithfulness is sort of glossed over in the Odyssey. You have brought out the truth of the situation. Something like John Gardner did with his work Grendal. I love the last stanza. I don't think it's ambigious at all. I am glad she did it.

Thank you! Margaret Atwood wrote a book called The Penelopaid that is looking at things from Penelopes's point of view, but I have not read it yet.