Posted 20.07.12 in Writing

‘The Red Girl’ by Jessica Matthews

 

Teeth like ancient tombstones; her grin was wide and quant

Her eyes were not remarkable but light and green and faint

 

Her skin was freckled, her cheeks pockmarked

Her words could sparkle, shone in the dark

 
Well I met her at a party, a story quite cliché

Slurped my drink and told me how she hated the day

 

And her eyes were fearful, and innocent

She was for trial, but not for rent

 

Her voice was slurred and drawling, her lips were freely lent

To rouge red cheeks and scarlet mouths, every second spent

 

But her face was lying, her mind was cold

She was scared by the soul she had sold

 

I clutched her in my arms to stop her descent to the ground

Her sense began to focus; as I spoke she heard the sound

 

She saw salvation, in another’s face

Her kiss marked me, a blazing trace

 

‘The Red Girl’ was submitted in response to Huw Williams’ Song Writing Challenge.

Huw Williams says: I really liked this entry and the lyric “She was for trial not for rent” I felt was particularly poignant.

 

Comments (1)

One Response to “‘The Red Girl’ by Jessica Matthews”

1. Rita says:

   August 8, 2012 at 8:31 am

   I like the simplicity of this poem. It doesn’t say anything explicitly, it tells you little details that shape the outline of what happened.I thought the ‘she was for trial, but not for rent’ bit is really interesting- I think it suggests someone afraid of commitment maybe.

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