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Angela

March 9, 2011
By Anonymous

That pale little hand being led to the bedroom
Those corduroy jeans being tossed to the floor
That innocent smile as he leans in to kiss her
The green of her eyes as they lay down for more
The very same eyes I caught reading Harry Potter past their bedtime.

Those bouncy red curls flattened against the bedspread
Twisted and tangled and coated in gel
Those delicate hands exploring his body
Those tiny girl’s hands, that I knew so well
The very same that shook me awake year after year on Christmas morning.

What happened to the little princess?
The cross country runner?
The sweet baby girl?

The science fair champion:
Arching her back and closing her eyes
gasping and panting and
pulling him closer
To the body I held in the hospital.

The clumsy ballerina:
Being rocked back and forth
Going limp with pleasure
Sighing satisfied
With the voice that asked me for a later bed time.

My rosy cheeked child who loved musical theatre
and wore purple sweaters
is gone.

The author's comments:
A few weeks ago my best friend and I were sitting at her kitchen table just like we do every Tuesday after school and before play practice. Out of nowhere her mother burst into the kitchen holding the bottle of birth control pills that my friend had been taking behind her back. She didn't yell at my friend for hiding the fact that she'd been having sex from her, nor did she break into tears. She just stared at her daughter for the longest time with this penetrating expression on her face. For days it haunted me it was confused, wounded--indescribable. The pain I found in her eyes was my inspired this poem.

Note: The poem is entitled 'Angela' after the woman who's face inspired me. This name has been changed to protect her identity, and that of my friend.
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JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 164 comments.

Lizzbeth GOLD said...
on Oct. 15 2014 at 12:19 am
Lizzbeth GOLD, Dows, Iowa
12 articles 0 photos 1 comment

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"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous." -Ingrid Bergman

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This poem is absolutely amazing. I feel like you are able to transport us to the mind of a mother when reading this, and I have to wonder at how you were able to capture exactly what a mother would be feeling in this poem. Simply wonderful.
palindrome97 BRONZE said...
on Jul. 5 2013 at 7:30 pm
palindrome97 BRONZE, League City, Texas
3 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." -Victor Hugo

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I discovered this poem over a year ago and it instantly became one of my favorites. I've probably read it dozens of times since then, and it still leaves me speechless. Wonderful job. You're so very talented. 
Trees BRONZE said...
on Oct. 28 2012 at 2:50 pm
Trees BRONZE, Billings, Montana
3 articles 0 photos 35 comments

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I love this!   The word choice for this was amazing, making it so powerful!!!!   This is really talented.  
TerraCotta GOLD said...
on Oct. 25 2012 at 1:46 pm
TerraCotta GOLD, Cupertino, California
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“A man, who has no conscience, no goodness, does not suffer.”

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Very metaphorcial with very good use of literary devices. Keep up the good work!
livelaughcrushin BRONZE said...
on Oct. 13 2012 at 2:16 pm
livelaughcrushin BRONZE, Az City, Arizona
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his was just sooo great. it was raw and honest. its an amazing piece
RachelNarozniak GOLD said...
on Oct. 3 2012 at 7:37 pm
RachelNarozniak GOLD, Allentown, New Jersey
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This was such a powerful poem. Your vocabulary was superb and you didn't leave anything to the imagination. I really appreciated the way you wrote this, and the honesty of your words!
Iyaya said...
on Sep. 11 2012 at 6:53 pm
Iyaya, Houston, Texas
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WOW I DONT EVEN NO WAT 2 SAY 2 THAT BUT GREAT JOB U'V GOT TALENT KEEP USING IT LIKE U HAVE 
BlueSunset BRONZE said...
on Sep. 11 2012 at 12:40 pm
BlueSunset BRONZE, Barcelona, Other
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Very deep! I like the vocabulary you used  and I think you are very talented! Though, I do wonder how you came up with the idea. All in all, absolutely great! 
Mimi15 PLATINUM said...
on Aug. 20 2012 at 8:04 pm
Mimi15 PLATINUM, Belfast, Maine
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This was so powerful. You're a fantastic writer. If you don't mind, I'd love to hear your opinion of my poem Broken Structure. Cheers. :)
Caesar123 DIAMOND said...
on Aug. 20 2012 at 4:16 pm
Caesar123 DIAMOND, Union Grove, Wisconsin
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I’m rather speechless. I imagine this is what many parents must feel like when they discover such a secret.
Dreammer GOLD said...
on Aug. 20 2012 at 1:42 pm
Dreammer GOLD, Montrose, Pennsylvania
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this poem was written very well, feel free too look at my stuff.
Johnny99 GOLD said...
on Jul. 29 2012 at 6:19 pm
Johnny99 GOLD, Newport News, Virginia
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I agree. I was really confused as I began reading it, but by the end, I understand why. Though, I do wonder where this person got the insperation...
iCheeto PLATINUM said...
on Jul. 29 2012 at 8:46 am
iCheeto PLATINUM, Cape Coral, Florida
25 articles 0 photos 61 comments
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This piece is genius, it's written perfectly and is lovely to read because it flows so smoothly.  Great emotion and originality, this is a real poem.  great job.
agaklo6 said...
on Jul. 7 2012 at 10:39 pm
That was an amazing poem. It was very realistic and modern. These days a lot of parents can't deal with the growing-up of their sweet little beloved children. They just can't deal with thinking about their children's boyfriends; somebody taking away their own little babies. They have to tru to understand and deal with the thought that someday they just have to let their babies go into a full grown-up world.
satellite23 GOLD said...
on Jul. 7 2012 at 8:08 pm
satellite23 GOLD, Cincinnati, Ohio
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I found it very weird, yet amazing that such a seductive poem appeared on the site...
TTTeeSS GOLD said...
on May. 25 2012 at 7:13 am
TTTeeSS GOLD, La Porte, Colorado
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This left my mind blank. It was..amazing!
pandagirl312 GOLD said...
on May. 24 2012 at 5:21 pm
pandagirl312 GOLD, Leawood, Kansas
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I really enjoyed reading this. It's great that it was based off of something that really happened to you, but at the same time, it isn't narrated by you. Kudos to you!
Court901 BRONZE said...
on May. 24 2012 at 1:51 pm
Court901 BRONZE, Magnolia, Texas
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I really like this. This poem is very original and I don't recall ever reading any poem with this idea within it.
SchWag said...
on May. 24 2012 at 12:58 pm
SchWag, SCREWSTTOONN(:, Texas
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God First, Broo(:

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i LOOOOOVEE IT GUURL(:
bluhs said...
on May. 24 2012 at 8:47 am
bluhs, E, Alabama
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That was a sad and beautiful poem.