Scarlet Woman
Joe Strickland 1986 (Hobbysville, SC)
She sits alone at the bar,
Staring into her drink
A cigarette hangs lazily
From her lips
She's seen it all,
The highs and the lows
From gutter to glamour
And back again
A scarlet woman,
A queen of the night
A siren's call,
A woman of the city
She's been around,
Knows the city's
Every street
Her eyes betray
A hint of pain
In every drink
The memory of her lovers
Comes back at night
Some left scars,
Others left gifts
On her lips
But she wears them all
Like a badge,
The pleasure and the pain
She's a survivor,
A heroine of the highs
And the lows
The city is her playground,
Her stage for the peaks
And the valleys.
She knows every alley,
Every dark corner of the streets
She's lived it all,
The heartache and the joy,
The pleasure and the pain
Her stories linger
In the smoky air,
In every drink
She's a warrior,
A fighter with fists and lips
Her battle scars
Are a reminder of her nights
But when the dark night comes,
She's alone
With her thoughts at night
Haunted by the memories
Of the benefits and the pitfalls,
Of the men who caressed her body
With their lips,
Of the moments of pure ecstasy
In the city streets,
Of the whiskey and the cigarettes,
The laughter and the drink,
Of the pain that comes
With every pleasure,
Of every joy and pain.
She's a walking contradiction,
A masterpiece of affliction.
A woman who's seen it all,
The beauty and the ugliness
Of the night
She's a poet
With every gulp of drink
A philosopher
Of the opportunities and obstacles.
She knows the ebb and flow
Of the city streets
And she wears her wisdom
Like a medallion on her lips.
Her lips,
The only ones
That know her pain,
Her heart,
A mystery in the city streets
She's a queen of the night,
The assets and liabilities,
Her drink.
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Written on May 17, 2023
Submitted by JoeStrickland on May 17, 2023
Modified by JoeStrickland on July 17, 2023
- 2:00 min read
- 11 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | xabcdefxghdb ijxxkAxhlxcdxKfxe ixjbmdxKfxAfclx nxhjxbcbmxanfk ggdxhxafxxmxc cxkxmhja |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,770 |
Words | 389 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 17, 15, 14, 13, 8 |
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"Scarlet Woman" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/159618/scarlet-woman>.
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