My solitude extended for so long
that my voice atrophied
and my trachea filled with moss and roots.
A caterpillar found its way inside
and nestled itself atop my voice box.
By the time I found a reason to speak,
the moth emerged, silencing me once more.
Β© Sarah Doughty
For the #MayBookPrompts – A Hundred Years Of Solitude
Hi, Sarah! I thought this poem was very evocative and really resonated with me. I appreciate it.
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Hi Randy! Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment. I really appreciate that. π
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This one is so haunting and beautiful.
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Thanks so much! π π
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Aww…I saw the end of this one coming. For someone with the voice of butterflies you should give your first person self one once in a while…
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Well thank you! π
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When I finished reading this a four letter word escaped my mouth. I love this. Absolutely loved it. You are AMAZING.
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A four letter word? Hahaha, thank you so much. π
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Moth? Talk? Dumb?
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No it wasn’t any of those. lol
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I’m not sure if I should be offended by that.
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It was a compliment. You stunned me with this write.
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No, not you. What that other person said.
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Sorry. Chimp got confused. You know IU am waiting for you to hand out the number one fan applications
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Hahaha, I’ll be sure to get that form started. πππ
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LMAO? C’mon Sarah, I thought it was obvious from my earlier comment that I loved your poem. I was just messing with TLAB who took it with a sense of humor.
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I didn’t think you were, but I’ve been attacked in the past that started out in a very similar fashion. Please don’t take offense. I just try to avoid confrontation as much as I can.
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eh, talking is overrated. I felt this way traveling alone in a foreign country where I couldn’t speak the language. Interesting use of tracheal in this context as it is more of a clinical term, but even more so, for me it echoes treacle or treacly, cloyingly sweet, thick and syrupy to the point of choking.
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I liked the clinical term, it just sounds interesting, but you’re right, the alternative versions have some significance in this context. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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oh geez. this lovely piece creep me out especially this part: trachea filled with moss and roots. geez!
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Ha, thank you! π goal achieved!
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you always do! π
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As always Sarah, your words and expressions make me speechless. This is work of art, just beautiful!
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Aw thank you so much! π π
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π
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My bad…. I do that. π
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Haha, yes. π
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You are so creative! And your grace, ease and ability with words, languages, and constructing phrases, is so masterful – you are, truly, a very gifted writer/poet/artist π
Absolutely loved this piece!
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Oh wow, thank you so much. π
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π
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I love everything about this. It jars in a way that resonates. Also, I love 100 Years of Solitude – great use of the prompt (I’m guessing that was the task?)! Amazing.
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Yes it was. Thank you so much!
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Wow. Wonderful writing, great everything π
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Thanks so much!
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O, let it be a swarm of butterflies filled with words! Lovely poem Sarah.
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Aww thank you, Holly!
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set those butterflies free *)
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I understand. β€
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β€
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Amazing, even though I don’t get the reference to the moth. However, on the cover of the “Silence of the Lambs” DVD, there’s a girl’s face with a moth on her mouth. Is that what you are referencing to, and what is the significance of the moth as silencer? Is it mythology… or some more modern idea?
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Sort of like Silence of the Lambs. The concept is that the throat wasn’t used for so long that it became a perfect place for a caterpillar to cocoon itself and emerge as a moth, which would then reinforce the silence. The killer in the movie left a moth as his signature in his victims. The moth is significant because they’re like the ugly, dirty cousins to butterflies. It would have a much lighter effect if a butterfly emerged rather than a moth. So, if you’d person are too speak, what would come out would be dark and gruesome, rather than beautiful. Does that answer your question?
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Totally answers, and my hat off to you for explaining so clearly.
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Thanks, love! π π
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I love this, from the title to the choking sensation in created in my own throat… powerful
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Thank you, I’m honored! π π
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You are so creative! I love it π
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Thank you! π π
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Anytime π As always it is my pleasure reading you Sarah π
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ππ
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