When I told Truth to go away,
we were both girls –
blossom-cheeked,
skipping rope with life.
“I can’t be your friend,” I told her.
“You know my secret.”
Truth shrugged. “OK.
I’ll be here if you need me.”
She waved goodbye, and went
to live high in the hills
with hummingbirds and foxes.
I stayed behind, secure in my choice,
though joy was hard to find, I never
trusted love, and I reacted oddly
to the seemingly mundane –
lilies made me nauseous, Black Beauty
gave me nightmares, a breeze against my neck
could make me cry.
After fifty years, I looked for Truth again.
She hadn’t changed – still young,
sweet, smiling, glad to see me.
But I’d become Wilde’s portrait in the attic –
haggard, bitter, burden-stooped.
I asked what would have happened
if I’d let her have her way.
“You’d have suffered,” she said. “People
would have shamed you. They’d say
you made it up.
But you’d be free.”
– Sarah Russell
First published in the anthology Secrets and Lies
For Real Toads quote by Dickinson
Painting: “Two Little Girls” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Sarah Russell Poetry 
Raw and powerful, Sarah. Such a moving poem. So well-written.
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Thank you, Ryan.
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Thank you Sarah, such an enthralling and soulful poem.
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Thank you, Ivors.
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Reblogged this on petrujviljoen and commented:
It’s National Woman’s Day in South Africa. I couldn’t have done better than what Sarah Russell wrote.
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Many thanks, Petru. I’m honored to be part of your day.
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Finally found some words of my own. Inspired by this and other posts I found on the topic. Put on your seat-belt!
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It’s National Woman’s Day in South Africa. I’m reblogging this as it fits the bill perfectly! I was groping around for words of my own and then saw this.
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I’m honored. Thank you so much!
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this gave me chills, sarah. so powerful and it literally delivers the truth in the very last line.
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Thank you, Beth.
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Incredible work.
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Thanks, Lily.
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A hard lesson!
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Yes. Those lessons are especially hard. Thanks for reading, Rosemary
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This is wonderful (and true). Giving up truth transform our world and not for the better. Finding it again, is pure magic… Lucky, lucky, lucky speaker. 🙂
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Yes. Giving up truth haunts you forever. Thanks, Magaly.
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woah, i like this bitter sweet ballad. of course, i always love it when poets use personification:)
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Thank you, Angie.
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This one is wonderful!
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Thanks, Al!
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:]
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Oh, in our naivete there was wisdom… Truth is hard to find these days. Beautiful writing
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Thanks, Susie.
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So incredibly raw and powerful!🌹
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Thank you, Sanaa.
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This is incredibly powerful work. The vulnerability shown here with the mellow, almost resigned verse and pacing… I felt as if I were reading someone’s diary. Really good stuff.
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Thanks, Barry (and for the “follow” too.)
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Oh, man… yes. Like the painting. So heavy.
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Thank you, Marian. Just visited your blog. Love it! Subscribed!
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Beautiful poem 🙂
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Thank you, Nayana.
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