October 30, 2013

RIP Teddy (A Haunting Poem)


This is my first time participating in the Write . . . Edit . . . Publish monthly bloghop and since October's theme is HAUNTING, I thought it would be fun to join now. 
My poem below isn't exactly scary, it's more silly, and since I joined nearly last minute I do not wish for any critiques on this. I only aim to entertain. :) 

Haunting:

adj
1. (of memories) poignant or persistent
2. poignantly sentimental; enchantingly or eerily evocative

NOTE: RIP Teddy came to me one day when I was taking a walk in my neighborhood. As I passed a house, I noticed a small teddy bear in pieces at the bottom of the driveway and it haunted my mind for the rest of walk. Before I knew it, a poem manifested in my mind about the poor little girl whose teddy bear lay broken on the edge of the road. I had to keep reciting the poem as I made my way home so I wouldn't lose it. Although this poem isn't about a scary incident, the teddy bear was a haunting image that I couldn't shake until I could get home to jot it down.

Here is that poem:



RIP Teddy
By
Chrys Fey

© Teddy bear in pieces on the road,
a little girl’s broken soul lies with his soft remains.
She loved him with all her heart,
but this is Teddy’s crime scene.

Oh, Teddy what happened to you?
What brought you to this horrible state?
Nothing can resuscitate your sweetness,
not even surgery can bring back your joy.

You died so carelessly, tragically
Will there ever be justice for your murder?
Oh, Teddy who is the culprit
a dog, a car, a brother?

The little girl finds you in the road,
tears of horror streaming down her cheeks.
She picks up your severed limbs,
and puts them in a cardboard coffin.

“Mommy, daddy . . . can we bury my beloved?”

I borrowed my mom's Boyds Bear for this picture.
He has a broken leg, lol

42 comments:

  1. Such a sweet ode to a Teddy Bear, and very appropriate for the 'haunting prompt'! Wonderful that you shared your inspiration. I can see how that might haunt. Such a sweet companion and so horribly lost tugs at the heart!
    I made the mistake of taking a Care Bear of my sons and donating it to Goodwill. He never let me forget it!
    Trick or Treat and Happy Halloween!
    And a double thanks for posting about the UNICEF drive - so appreciated!

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    1. Thank you, Yolanda! The story behind the poem and the poem itself are a package deal. ;) I'm glad you liked it.

      Aw! Now I feel like writing a poem about your son's Care Bear.

      Happy Halloween!!!! And you're welcome! I love to spread awareness for good causes and this is a GREAT one! :)

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  2. Great imagery.
    my wife collects Boyds Bears.....I collect super glue.
    Stupid bears don't stay put when I dust.....at least I dust I tell her.

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    1. Thanks! :)

      Boyds Bears are cute. I don't have any, but if I saw one I particularly liked I'd buy it. One can never have enough super glue. ;)

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  3. Hi Chrys.
    This poem made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
    I do believe that the one toy every child should have, is a teddy bear.
    Thank you for sharing!
    Nice to meet you via the bloghop.
    Writer In Transit

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    1. Hi, Michelle! Very nice to meet you too! :)

      Teddy Bears are children's best friends! I still have one of mine. ;)

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  4. Great use of something you saw in every day life, and a lovely poem :)

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  5. Absolutely broke my heart. I want to find all his pieces and sew him back together.

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    1. I felt like doing the same thing too, Beverly. Thank you for visiting! :)

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  6. Aww..a sweet horror story. Loved the poem. :)

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    1. That's a perfect description, Raquel. Thank you! :)

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  7. Awww...sweet and sad. I still have my teddy bears around me.

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  8. This reminds me of my daughter's affection for her Bear. She actually brought him to a church service in which the pastor was blessing animals so he could get a blessing, too.

    It's lovely what a child's affection can do to infuse the inanimate with love. This one was, like Kelly said, sweet and sad.

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    1. Aw! That is the cutest story I've ever read! I would want my Teddy Bear blessed too if I was her age. :)

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  9. The little girl finding him is heartbreaking!

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    1. I know. That's what I imagine would've happened :( At least, that's how I would've reacted if I was that little girl.

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  10. What a lovely, sweet poem! I too know of such a teddybear… This was a big, brown one and he sat in the high grass on the side of the road that I take to drive my daughters to school for more than half year. Dropped or thrown from a car, I imagine. The road borders a lake, there are houses, but there are still wooded portions and there’s no sidewalk. Day after day, I would look at him as he grew dirtier and sadder, under rain, and mud, and snow… I should’ve picked him up… This autumn, he’s not there anymore… :-)

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    1. I guess there are a lot of teddy bears out there in the world, abandoned and decaying on the side of roads. When I saw the bear that inspired this poem, I was especially sad for it. More so than the little girl I imagine in my head.

      Thank you for stopping by and telling me your teddy bear story. :)

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  11. Hello Chris. This is adorably sad. Don't we all remember a favourite toy broken down, sometimes unfixable? What a lovely story for the WEP blogfest. Thank you so much for participating. Hope you will come again! I am so full of admiration for those who can write poetry!

    Denise

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    1. Hello, Denise! :) I don't write too much poetry unless I'm inspired to, like when I saw the teddy bear.

      I had fun participating this month and I plan on participating next month. This bloghop really is a great idea! So thank you for creating it! :)

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  12. I loved Teddy's crime scene and resuscitating his sweetness. Nice plays on words. Sad poem. :(

    Shannon at The Warrior Muse

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  13. Poor Teddy. And poor little girl who will be haunted by his passing in all her nightmares.

    ........dhole

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    1. Hi, Donna! I hope the real little girl didn't feel like how my fictional one did.

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  14. Chrys, I'm betting it was a brother. You've no idea how vicious the air is in the toy room. (Great poem. That poor girl ...)

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    1. I think it was a brother too. At least my brother did those things when I was little. lol

      Thank you for coming to Teddy's memorial.

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  15. Dark poetry, I love it! :D Happy Halloween, Chrys!

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  16. Clever and fun! I remember as a kid shrieking in horror when the nose fell off of my stuffed dog. Thank goodness Dad did surgery and fixed him!

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    1. Thanks, Li! It's always a tragedy when our favorite stuffed animal gets a tear or falls apart. My mom always had to play doctor.

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  17. Aaah, poor Teddy. Your poem was haunting as to the unknown reason for his demise. Poor little girl as well.

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    1. Poor Teddy and little girl, indeed. Thanks for your comment, Sally! :)

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  18. Saturday November 2nd, 2013
    Hi Chrys,
    Welcome to WEP!
    Nice poem about a lost/broken toy. To a child, a broken toy can hurt a lot.
    Best wishes,
    Anna
    Anna's WEP-Challenge for October: Haunting

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    1. Thank you for the warm welcome, Anna! And thanks for your comment! :)

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  19. I enjoyed your poem. Poor Teddy.
    Nancy

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  20. Sorry it took me so long to stop by! This was a haunting image. Anyone who would feel the need to rip a Teddy bear to shreds is a frightening person indeed. Well done!

    Thanks for stopping by and reading my entry the other day. I appreciate it!

    Jen

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    1. No worries, Jen! Thank you for stopping by now. :)

      They are a frightening person indeed. Should I be nervous that they live on my block? . . . lol

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  21. I was thinking of my dogs while reading your poem, Chrys. I recall how they "murdered" their stuffed toys to pieces, I'm pretty sure Teddy wouldn't last a day if you handed him to them. It would be a heartbreaking sight for a child, though, especially if the child loves Teddy so much. :-)

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    1. Stuffed animals don't live long around dogs. Poor things. :( lol

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