Friday 22 January 2016

The Prompt - Paint

A Painted On Smile
As I put on my hat and check my reflection
Inside I feel empty and fragile,
Remembering the past and our history,
Arranging my painted-on smile.
In the car the radio chatters away
But I've not been listening for quite a while.
I'm stuck in the past, reliving good times
As I practice my painted-on smile.
At the church there is a profusion of flowers,
Old friends with whom to reconcile.
I feel lost and detached, a soul wandering alone
Behind my painted-on smile.
The service is lovely, hardly a dry eye,
Rapt faces turned heavenwards for a while,
Hymns sung, wishes for happiness beamed.
Yet I struggle to follow with my painted-on smile.
As the organ begins to swell
And you walk down the aisle
Escorting your beautiful new bride
Cracks appear in my painted-on smile.
The speeches are made, champagne glasses clinked,
Congratulations shouted by all.
But standing apart with a chill in my heart
Is me with my painted-on smile. 

18 comments:

  1. This is heartbreakingly lovely. Whether you have written it from personal experience or otherwise, you have summed it up so well. Thank you for linking to Prose for Thought and commenting from The Prompt x

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    1. Thank you for your kind words Victoria; I'm actually blushing! It's not from personal experience, just a reaction to the phrase 'painted-on smile'

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  2. Oh this is so sad, yet beautifully written Johanne. My heart strings actually twanged for this person. X

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    1. I'm glad that I affected your emotions, Tracy, even if it was in a sad way. Always good to hear that what I write gets some reaction; writing is such a solitary process that it's hard to know if I'm getting it right!

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  3. Oh, this is terribly sad, but so brilliantly written. Full of emotion, I was quite breathless by the end. Thank you so much for sharing with #ThePrompt x

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    1. Thanks for your kind words, Sara! I'm sorry I made you sad but there is a sad back story so ... mission accomplished!

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  4. Really poignant Johanne! Very well-written - I really felt for the character. #theprompt

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    1. Thank you Maddy, glad you enjoyed it! It's the first time for a long time that I've really 'crafted' a piece of writing so I was interested to hear how people thought it worked (or didn't!)

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  5. So beautifully heartbreaking. Wonderful poem

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    1. Thank you Becky! Always nice when something I write touches someone.

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  6. This is so simple but yet still has so much emotion in it, well written too. I'm glad I found your blog :) #abitofeverything

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    1. Thank you for your lovely comment. And welcome aboard my nutty blog!

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  7. I love the simplicity and the flow of this. Thank you for sharing on #Abitofeverything - I love the diversity of what I discover every week

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    1. Thank you Gretel! There are some great things out there to discover through these linkies, I'm amazed and inspired every week.

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  8. Aww lovely, this is heartbreakingly, but beautiful. You have summed it up perfectly. Thank you for linking t#abitofeverything x

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  9. Oh gosh - that has sent shivers down my spine. Beautiful, poignant and possibly the story for many people every day. #abifofeverything

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    1. Thank you r your kind comment. This poem has taken on a life of its own recently which is nice, if surprising.

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