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Ending It Gracefully

 

Homeless, friendless;
No place in the cold dark city
To lay her poor old head
Except the cold, cold gutter.
No mother to care for her;
Not a soul to give her succour.

Her life has been a catastrophe,
A series of disasters.
From birth has she led
A life of rank inconsequence.
Why not end it now?
She  could. She can. She must. She will.

In the lowly alley where
Her filthy, sore-covered body
Lies in soiled and odious rags
She resolves her terminating actions,
Crawling around drunkenly
Among the soggy rat droppings.

Searching for the wherewithal
With which to end her worthless life.
At last, a broken milk bottle - So
She takes it to her waiting throat.
But, sod it, it's made of plastic
And would not cut through butter hot.

So, instead of sharply slitting
Her eagerly attentive jugular,
She’s barely scratched the grimy epidermis.
And while she lies sobbing in the culvert
Some bloody passing pooch
Micturates thoughtfully on her balding cranium.

Splish! Splash! She’s taking a bath!

[I’d like to give posthumous thanks to Bobby Darin (1936-73) for that last line.]

Style / type: 
Free verse
Review Request (Intensity): 
I appreciate moderate constructive criticism
Review Request (Direction): 
What did you think of my title?
How was my language use?
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Editing stage: 

Comments

pathos with a dollop of pity. A sad and seamy tale worthy of applause! All good with the critique, nothing to report here. ~ Geezer.
.

There is value to commenting and critique, tell us how you feel about our work.
This must be the place, 'cause there ain't no place like this place anywhere near this place.

..this poem is very sad esp. the splish splash bit.

xxx
Edna
Poet(ess) to the Stars

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