Tuesday 23 September 2008

The Bride

Photograph copyright © Marjorie Savill Linthwaite 2008

The gigantic Moreton Bay Fig stands
In sun-dappled, shades of time, long, past.
Visible, through the rusted, wrought-iron gate
Lies leaf litter stained with Autumn hues,That rustles with the restless voices of
The undead, in the Camperdown Cemetery.


See the cracked, white marble cross:
The fading inscription reads
"also Eliza Emily last surviving daughter"The only reminder of the bride of sorrow.This was her price for tasting, forbidden fruitIn the Garden of Eden.
Eliza Emily's waxen death mask decayed
Within the bittersweet taste
Of her eight-tier white wedding cake.
Cobwebs and dust aged the pale porcelain skin
Within the ivory remnants of bridal laceDeath embraced the despair of her crumbling bones.

The Bride
copyright
© Marjorie Savill Linthwaite 2008
All rights reserved.

Overview: The main character of Miss Havisham in Charles Dicken's 'Great Expectations' sets the scene for this twisted and intriguing love story partly based on the tragic life of Eliza Emily Donnithorne. My poem is attempting to capture the sense of loss of a woman who waited in vain for her man to come back.

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