Hello! I saw some people posting their Emily Dickinson imitation poems and I wanted to follow suit. This poem does not have a title:

Peony – Thorns – at Feet caught bare

An Osprey sings – abhorred

Carbonating – of Sounds exhaled

In Drowning – Wailing – Chords

I sit – naked – below the Head

Its Water trickles – dry –

They left Me so – in Lassitude 

Weeping – abashed of Mind –

I would love to hear your interpretations! I will explain the meaning of this poem. TRIGGER WARNING: poem contains strong themes of sexual assault and abuse.

I wrote this poem based off of my own experiences with sexual harassment and assault. It is definitely more of an artistic approach. The “Peony” and “Thorns” both resemble feet getting dragged through the rough forest terrain and also the bruising along the ankles as peonies can be purple. The osprey singing is inspired by Emily Dickinson’s frequent use and intellectual understanding of the symbolism behind birds; in this case, ospreys are often seen as a state of true power which can be interpreted as both taken away from the narrator from the word “abhorred” and also given to an “abhorred” force who frequently puts many people like the narrator here in danger (like a predator-prey food chain). “Carbonating — of Sounds exhaled” is quite literally all of the sounds during the assault combining with the sounds of nature, like how the narrator’s crying mixes with the birds singing “Drowning — Wailing — Chords.”

The last part of the poem is after the event where the narrator is left in a state of vulnerability alone in her shower, a place where she is supposed to feel warm, safety, and comfort. However, the water is trickling dry, implying that her body is left cold and there is no more security in safe spaces. “They left Me so — in Lassitude” is the physical and emotional state the assaulter left the narrator in where they are both exhausted and constantly in a state of wary as a result of the event. The poem ends with the narrator “Weeping” with an “abashed state of Mind” as the assaulter had completely left her traumatized.

Let me know what you think — have a great summer!

Laura Roman’s Imitation Poem

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