Hammock



With membrane-thin covered brittle bones
her old eyes dull
she quietly enjoys the smoke
sucked in with deep tugs

Hanging in her knotted mat
she is waiting if that one customer
will buy from her stall

looks at the youngsters
that drive and walk past her
ignorant of what life brings

For her for so long
the sweet mingled with sad tears
and many moons ago
she didn't know anything either

She waves and hints
as if she still wants to tell stories
about what lies in front of us
before she definitely goes up in smoke

About this poem

This poem I wrote while living in Cambodia at another years' ending.

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Submitted by ludy_b on December 30, 2023

30 sec read
111

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXAX XBX XBX XXXB XXXA
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 517
Words 101
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 3, 3, 4, 4

Ludy Bührs

The topics she writes about are very diverse, so are the poetry styles she applies. As a Dutch translator and poet, having lived in Cambodia's capital city Phnom Penh for 2.5 years, in 2008 she published "Op de ruïnes van een rijk" (On the Ruins of an Empire) ISBN 978-90-8834-483-1 with 60 poems based on her experiences there. In 2007 she received a Certificate of Accomplishment as one of The Best Poems and Poets of 2007 issued by poetry.com and the International Library of Poetry for her poem Choked Truth, her own translation of "Verstikte waarheid", one of the poems in the book. Born in 1956, she still works as an independent translator, translating from English into Dutch. more…

All Ludy Bührs poems | Ludy Bührs Books

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Discuss the poem Hammock with the community...

3 Comments
  • luisestable1
    Yes, there is poetry in this poem, but I find it a bit hard to follow what's really going on in this poem. Half of it left me with no clear thought of what all of this is saying or trying to say. Perhaps you would want to assist me. 
    LikeReply3 months ago
    • ludy_b
      Maybe read the other comments?
      LikeReply3 months ago
  • BU3
    I feel the old days bleeding through your poem. I love this.
    LikeReply 13 months ago
  • Giselavigil
    Great story with vivid imagery of the wisdom of the old and the blindfolds of youth. I enjoyed reading this.
    LikeReply 13 months ago

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"Hammock" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/177088/hammock>.

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