Paris was vibrant,
the outskirts, charcoal.
In dark corners
the women in red
lifted skirts for men in top hats.
Manon
was a demi-monde beauty,
scarlett dressed and wide-eyed,
Harlot,
They called her,
The men with grasping hands
who were always hungry.
An animal appetite
behind human eyes
A beast in a suit.
If you listened carefully you could almost hear a hint of a growl
from the corner of his mouth
The sweat on his brow
window-wiped
with a lipstick blood handkerchief
Discarded
Before he returned home to his wife.
The silk strings on Manon’s corset were
always loose,
Recoiling
from eager fingertips,
That were too rough.
Tina Rose is a Bachelor of Arts (hons) English & Drama Graduate from Royal Holloway, University of London, and a Masters graduate in English Literary Studies from Durham University. She is a freelance writer & blogger, resident graduate assistant, and a creative writing teacher. You can read more of her writing at Tina Rose Poetry.
Beautifully sad, fingertips too rough, lovely and thoughtful poetry.
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Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.
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Reblogged this on Brave and Reckless and commented:
Tina Rose on Whisper and the Roar
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A touching portrait.
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Reblogged this on cabbagesandkings524 and commented:
At The Whisper And The Roar, Tina Rose paints a portrait in words of a woman.
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
BRAVO—WELL WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED!
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