A d’Verse quadrille
I’m wound up and wounded
Not my body yet, just my heart
We’re sitting potential collateral
Damage // seems
Verse is free
But can’t free me
From her world, which I’m afraid to leave
For, simply, I
Want to protect her innocence and heart
The prompt:
What’s in a word?
The above free verse poem is my take on d’Verse’s Quadrille challenge #128.
The quadrille is simply a poem of 44 words (excluding the title), and it can take any form. This week’s challenge was to use the word “wound” in a quadrille.
The word “wound” is a homograph. Homographs are words with the same spelling, but different pronunciations and meanings. To work out which pronunciation and which meaning is appropriate, you must look at the context.
The extra challenge offered for this particular d’Verse prompt was to include the word “wound” twice – as two of the 44 words – using both of its meanings/pronunciations and thus including the homographic pair.
I don’t tend towards free verse poetry, but I think I should try my hand at it more often than I do. This poem reflects some of how I feel right now, as the father of a six-year-old child living in Israel during this especially scary time.
The Skeptic's Kaddish 🇮🇱 
It’s beautifully written. Health and safety, and peace to you and your family.
🤍 Donna 🤍 – thanks!
-David
Beautifully expressed
Stay wealthy healthy safe and happy
❤ thank you, Kanika ❤
Sincerely,
David
Dear Ben, Very elegant and picturesque.
Thanks so much, Anand. I really appreciate it.
Please feel free to call me David – that’s my first name.
❤
David
Happy David that you liked my comment.
✨🙏✨ Anand ✨🙏✨
Truly phenomenal!!
Thanks, Eshakendhe!
❤
David
Thinking of you and your family. I can’t even imagine how one goes about explaining this situation to a six-year-old…
We’re doing okay, E. ❤
How do you explain war? May you continue to stay safe. (K)
I don’t know 😦
Clever stuff. A wary protector, wounded, but willing to be hurt more. Lovely.
❤ thanks so much, Masa ❤
Great poem, David! Hope you had a nice holiday despite what’s going on.
We did indeed; thank you, Nick!
❤
David
This is incredibly heartwrenching and beautiful in its message and sensitivity. 💝💝
It was totally spontaneous and unpolished, Sanaa – but – well – it’s what came out 😦
thank you.
David
Prayers for your and family’s well being . Hope the situation settles. The genuine love in your words immediately strikes one.
❤ Thanks, Shalini ❤
-David
This is heartbreaking to read… and you being in the middle of it, I hope you manage to protect your daughter.
So far, there hasn’t been anything to protect her from in our immediate vicinity… but everything feels utterly uncertain and unpredictable… She doesn’t understand the situation at all, and I hope it stays that way for as long as possible…
Hah– you nailed it. I remember saying out loud when my son was born, “Now I will worry every day of my life.”
Yeah, *sigh*
Thanks, Xan.
❤
David