Poemata Snared by their lies, optimism’s extinguished from her eyes.
The Loss of Innocence - A Sestina by Karl Stuart Kline (2006)
Once a beautiful child, with her youth shining from her eyes, She had no thought that she’d ever become so sadly wise, Losing childhood’s wonder, battered by a world full of lies.
Did you ever see a young girl with an old woman’s eyes? Where her happiness is a thing of the past (if ever...), Too soon she’s endured life’s burdens and become sadly wise, An old stone with the brightness of youth eddying ‘round her. She’s lost her childhood – Her life is caught in a web of lies – Trapped and a victim, she has lost all of childhood’s wonder Childhood’s precious and once youth is lost, it’s gone forever. The girl I saw was much too young to be so worldly wise, To know so soon that those she loved would only betray her, Once an innocent with no defense for their easy lies, A trusting soul who’s another victim left to wonder Why those glib deceits didn’t show in their faces or their eyes. Wisdom gained is the heart’s refrain, victimized by those lies, Mourning the death of innocence, sadly gone forever, When the pain was unexpected, it brought tears to her eyes. Her captors rejoiced in her tears, leaving her to wonder Why she was so gullible and could have been so unwise As to believe their lies, so that’s the end of tears for her.
Karl Stuart Kline Poet, author, photographer and activist, was born in Las Vegas, Nevada when there was only one saloon in town..He has subsequently lived in or passed through nearly all of the 48 continental United States. Too young to fully appreciate it at the time, he nonetheless was witness to modern American history as Bugsy Siegel brought the Mob and the Strip to Las Vegas. He was past president of Epilepsy Concern (a coalition of self-help groups), a past president of the Greater Miami Avicultural Society and is a lifetime honorary member of the Florida Sheriff’s Association. Karl Stuart Kline Websites: www.poeticat.com www.scaredsafe.org More of Karl’s poetry at: http://www.poemhunter.com/karl-stewart-kline
She coldly swore she’d never cry again! No, not ever! Never again would her tears give pleasure to sadist’s eyes! Try as they might, they’d never wring another tear from her! It’s at too high a cost that she’d become so early wise And her cold silence would only leave them all to wonder How it is that she’s no longer accepting of their lies. New Orleans’ streets are where I saw this girl with eyes so wise, But I could also see that any hope was lost to her, Trapped as she was, with no escape from other people’s lies Hard as marble, her gaze had no feeling whatsoever, Not even sadness, since that would be weakness in her eyes. As for what this might do to her, I can only wonder How, spider like, something or someone has done this to her, Luring innocent young girls with a web of clever lies Quickly spun about them, giving them no chance to wonder If those things they are “persuaded” to do are really wise. For those who’d entrap her, truth is not an option – ever!
Fall-Winter 2007 ~POEMATA~ 12