Stitches made from switches,
momma said our mouths were ditches;
beatings are a blight you can’t remove
growing up inside a shady groove.
I prefer paintings to people now,
silent frames that never move;
the illusive smile of the Louvre
inspires a shady groove.
De Jackson, aka WhimsyGizmo, is host for d’Verse’s Quadrille #135. A quadrille is a 44 word poem. Join us this evening in getting into the”Groove.”
Painting viewed at the Louvre July 2021; “Le Colosse de Rhodes” by Louis De Caullery
Yard Sale of Thoughts 
“I prefer paintings to people now” great line! Enjoyed.
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Thank you, Tom.
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I love this – the rhyme and rhythm work so well
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Thank you. 😀 I look forward to quadrilles and the challenge of making 44 words meaningful.
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You said a lot in 44 words, Karen. Deftly delineated yet linked stanzas. The Louvre image you chose is dark and reminds me of Bosch.
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Thank you, Lisa. I wrote more stanzas about the shady groove, but couldn’t get away from these two, even though they’re so different. I saw so many great paintings in the Louvre in such a short time-span that I really haven’t had time to fully process them all. This is one of those paintings and poems for me.
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You’re welcome and so awesome you went to the Louvre! I can see where the artwork would be inspiring for poetry.
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Yes, indeed. Thanks, Lisa. I still have many pieces to draw inspiration from just that one day. I definitely wish to return to Paris, which is overflowing with art and cafes to create are in.
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Methinks there’s a deeper meaning here.
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If you uncover it, Bev, do tell. Somehow the quadrille keeps bringing out the subconscious in me. 🙂
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Wow, this is a powerful piece, well done. For my reading, it feels like the great use of rhyme really belies the darker side of it.
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Thank you for reading and hosting. Great prompt, and I really tried to talk about my lovely record player, but well, the pen often has its own point of view.
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An interesting Poem.
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Thank you, Dwight. It’s interesting to me as well. Quadrille Mondays are really bringing out the buried treasures here.
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They have been interesting!
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I too feel dark undertones emanating throughout this piece. It’s interesting to pick apart the abstract and rhythm–and it’s the epitome of poetry to me. I can resonate in preferring the arts over people; observing without consequence, without the varied experiences people bring from their own ditches–as you cleverly say, mouths–that create those moments.
Beautifully and evocatively written. ❤ ❤
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Many thanks, Lucy, for these thoughtful musings. The gutter of what we utter, I’m enjoying your thoughts on how the pen is an extension of that dark groove.
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On first reading, it’s a catchy little ditty, but every time I come back to it, I find something else. Very well written. Love it.😊
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Thank you kindly, Hobbo. I will have to continue to let the quadrilles stream, then.
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Stream away! 😊
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A shady grove with an extra ‘o’. Not sure what that means exactly, but it makes it seem more classical Greek.
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Rhyming quadrille is not easy but you did it with aplomb, K.! At the cost of sounding repetitive, I too felt a darker undertone.
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Thank you. I let myself go with these quadrilles and man, many a weird thing happens. Feels good, though, and I appreciate your kind comments.
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Powerful verse with a moral.
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I can see why the narrator would prefer paintings to people. Catchy rhythm and rhyme with a dark undercurrent.
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Thank you, Merrril. Paintings may peel but rarely lose their tempers.
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True–not too often. 😏
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Fantastic! It caught my eye first because my cat is named Shady Grove! 😉
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Ty, Tiffany. I love that song; what a great name for a cat. Of course, I played the song while penning.
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Lovely. Enjoyed it.
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Ty, Bill. 😃
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Your Quadrille hits on two levels …. painful childhoods … and smiles in a painting. Well penned.
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Thank you very much, Helen. Sometimes art is a great buffer for suffering.
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I now have a Burton Cummings song looping in my head “Pretty Pictures”
In the pretty pictures
I have got my sanctuary
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Brilliant connection; thank you so much for sharing.
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Preferring paintings to people… there are so many scars with such a background.
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From my reading….which may not be what you intended at all….there is much pain in the first stanza. Stitches could allude to treated open wounds….left from beatings by a switch. The reference to momma seems to point to a perspective she had on children….their inherent lack of good referred to by their mouths being ditches. Beatings leaving external and internal scars….internal scars that are still felt in the second stanza where there is a confession to liking the arts more than people….to me that reads as if because of this painful childhood, it’s a challenge to be in relationships and much easier to appreciate the masterpieces in the Louvre which do not speak, do not lash out, to not require any action or commitment on the viewer’s part.
For me….this is an incredibly powerful write.
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So much unpacked here, Lillian. Thank you for taking the time to unroll these lines. Sometimes the only way out of a shady groove is to remember it and be understanding of when the feelings return.
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You said/implied a lot in a few lines (the magic of Quadrille’s 44 words). Love the rhyming words and specially this part:
I prefer paintings to people now,
silent frames that never move;
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Thank you kindly, Grace. Paintings are the perfect companions.
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just discovered this: a smashingly good poem !!! there’s a magical menace to it 🙂
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Thanks, John. Sort of wishing I’d gone with a groovy shade now. 😉 Need all the shade I can get these days.
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God… that is so horrible and true.
❤
David
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Glad that’s a blight that’s ended in my family tree. Thanks for commenting, David.
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Digging your word play and vibe, right on
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Sticks and switches seemed to be the teaching tool of my day. It is good that we survived and can change the way we teach our children. I would like a kinder and gentler nation and world.
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I very much agree. I’d like to think we’ve evolved beyond rule by fear, but it seems to creep back in, especially during times of distress. I appreciate your thoughtful comments.
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