There Lies a Woman

Ludy Bührs

There, in front of the old pagoda, lies a woman.
She blocks the driveway quietly on her side.
The local traffic passes by like a hoodlum.
They seem to think here ignoring is right.

There, in front of the old pagoda, lies a woman,
smartly dressed in accordance with fashion,
but the ashen face keeps away the footman.
No eyes to look at her with compassion.

There, in front of the old pagoda, lies a woman,
severely wounded, and probably dead.
The head rest on her arm, stiffened by then.
One look and forever this image is etched.

There, in front of the old pagoda, lies a woman.
No monk is watching over her with respect.
Even the Buddhist here seems lost in nowhere.
He just waits for the money he may expect.

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Submitted by ludy_b on May 02, 2021

Modified on April 10, 2023

: 39 sec read
: 563 Views

Quick analysis:

Scheme	Axxx Aaaa Axxx Abxb
Closest metre	Iambic hexameter
Characters	699
Words	133
Stanzas	4
Stanza Lengths	4, 4, 4, 4

Full analysis for There Lies a Woman »

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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BU3
ludy_b, I enjoy your poems. This one triggered many haunting images of Vietnam. The bodies lying along the roadsides are scenes you never forget. Wow! This write hit hard for me.
LikeReply1 year ago
- ludy_b
  This was in Phnom Pehn, on an ordinary day, and this image is what hit me when driving by on my way to a market. I could still draw the scene of her serene body, the monk and the traffic passing by.
  LikeReply1 year ago
DrShiv
This is how most religious followers are irrespective of faith.
LikeReply1 year ago
gordonm.11201
Nice piece penned so well Ludy, good imagery too.
LikeReply 11 year ago
Soulwriter
I'd love to know what inspired this poem - a political scene, a personal experience...
LikeReply 11 year ago
- ludy_b
  This was inspired from seeing with one's own eyes
  LikeReply1 year ago
- Soulwriter
  Wow. Intense. :( The world is complex.
  LikeReply 11 year ago
UJ
For me this tells a story of a homeless lady being ignored in the streets. Even when she dies, no one notices or respects her. It's sad to think that this probably happens more often then we'd like to believe. more »
LikeReply 21 year ago
Soulwriter
Thanks for sharing this.
LikeReply 22 years ago
- c.r.stratton80
  Please check out my poems if you will and let me know what you think
  LikeReply1 year ago

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"There Lies a Woman" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 29 May 2023. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/98922/there-lies-a-woman>.

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