Woman In Chains

Arousing opulence of ancient ballrooms She creates her own make-believe world Waltzing coyly in terpsichorean rhythms Upon glittering stage where they sell love Each time she caresses arms of a stranger, Pretending to levitate in sultan’s harem In glitzy appeal of polygamous mansions Where she reiterates to sighs of ambivalence-- This used to be once the venue of glamour. But her allegory of ardor quickly fades As her disillusioned ego yearns for solace When invisible bruises begin to ache Having surrendered esteem to ruthless nights Trading dead-feelings in lavish marbled halls Where stench of alcohol, perfumes, and cigars Traps perturbed anguish inside prison walls From which, she knows, there’s no escape. Initiation period for her was the hardest When beauty and youth at height of apex Squandered her magical Cinderella zeal Abandoning fabled-castle her childhood built Crying into that gutless, gruesome night For lacking the force of fortitude to leave Before she condemned her soul into abyss. She’s worthless to the heartless crowd now— A shriveled rose desolate in parched garden, A discarded bottle of expensive scotch; So, voicing contempt, like a caged bird she sings About the wedding night she always fancied Reciting lyrics, crooning spent feelings, Whispering the names she picked for her kids. Look closely at her, she has no chains now, She can abscond easily whenever she wants But, alas, no longer has she the desire to fly; For her mutilated spirits relentlessly bleed Ever since her own hands clipped her wings. August 29, 2020 Placed 1st: Woman in chains poetry contest Sponsor: John Hamilton Inspired by Woman in Chains song by Tears for Fears