Jenny (poem) [Part of a Kin's Decanter Collection]

[Jessi wa Kawaii]

~This is just a little ditty (not so little...) that i've had in my mind for two years, and finally had the muse to start and finish recently. It's depressing, as all of my poems are, and does tell a story, so enjoy!~


Jenny


I
Jenny McKay was a girl,
Her head full of shiny curls,
Curls that were weld in plaits
That framed large eyes and a face sweet as cake,
Eagerly she saw the treats,
Candied, delectable, good to eat.
She watched her brother shove them down,
Yet even then she did not frown.
Instead she trembled, quivered, and froze
With pink cheeks and a red nose,
She opened her mouth and spoke,
Her voice so light and sugary,
As she asked,
?Please save some for me.?

II
At twelve years old, her life was a go,
Poor Jenny never learned the true meaning of ?no?
Her grades were fine,
Her friends were too,
They stuck together better than glue.
High school and college weren?t far ahead,
She was ready, everyone said.
Ready for what?
They never explained.
They thought Jenny knew how to play life?s game
But Jenny?s innocent curiosity,
Would get the better of her eventually.
So she listened to her friend?s words,
When they said that it was okay,
Jenny never fought or complained.
So she took when they said,
?Take a bite?
And she lit it when they said,
?Take a light?
Jenny liked the rolled-up paper,
And smoked it greedily without hesitation.
It made her feel like she was alive,
She felt like she didn?t have to run or hide
She never quit, she needed the feeling,
She needed to feel like she could reach the ceiling.
Even when she had to leave,
She made sure to ask,
?Save some for me.?


III
Ten years later, down the line,
Boys thought Jenny was real fine.
College just wasn?t any fun,
So Jenny had fun with everyone.
She had a bright smile, and a small waist,
Her name was heard all over the place.
Her kisses were sweet,
Or so they say.
She never kept a boy for more than a few days.
The boys she liked were all the same,
Never stopped causing her pain.
But she accepted what they did,
Despite all her scars
She enjoyed their reaction
When she went too far.
The passionate wrath attracted her,
She felt the need,
Every time her body turned raw,
Even when they made her bleed.
Then she met the bottle,
With that mystic drink inside,
The intoxicating flavor
And the label caught her eye.
The colored liquid fell in glasses,
Exposed for all to see.
Jenny didn?t wait to ask,
?Please save some for me.?

IV
Her family didn?t understand.
Had Jenny really gone mad?
The young girl they loved
Was fading away.
Before their very eyes,
They watched her decay.
Her smiles were few and thin,
Her body was weak.
She dropped out of college,
And had no right morals to keep.
What had happened to the very girl,
So was all sunshine and bouncing curls?
What happened to their Jenny?
What had made her change so drastically?
No job, no future,
She stole from the house.
She stole to keep her habits,
So she had to move out.
For too, too long they had never said no.
They had never helped her learn the right way to go.
Jenny was lost, and they could see,
The family they?d no longer be.
Her hatred blazed as she left the house,
Her voice loudly echoed about,
?Don?t bother saving anything for me?
And that was the last time they ever saw Jenny.

V
Thin and frail,
Bones poking through skin,
This was the result of Jenny?s sin.
?Between the sheets? was no longer a phrase
?Between the sheets? was how Jenny spent her days.
Money was always hard to find,
Especially when you spent every dime.
Face pale, and sullen, hair dull and plain,
Her pigment the same as her cocaine
Pinpricks aligned her arms,
Showing years of bodily harm.
It was hard to live this way,
When she only had herself to blame.
Or was it because she had to grow,
Without anyone telling her how to say no?
White hands took the money,
And she left to the street,
Her body exhausted,
From her sexual retreat.
Police cars passed her,
And she waved civilly,
It wouldn?t do her well,
To get caught this week.

A deserted alley,
No one around,
This was how she spent her nights on the town.
Her eyes watched the man,
As he divided the lines.
She watched him closely,
To make sure it was right.
Smoke laced the air,
Making her eyes burn,
She achingly coughed as she waited her turn.
Her nose was still brittle,
From snorting last week,
Her addiction was not finished,
Nor would it ever be.
So Jenny counted the seconds
Until the table was hers.
Watching the lines disappear
Without anyone saying a word.
But she spoke, so loud and clear,
That the people turned to hear,
They listened as her voice rasped painfully,
?Please save some for me.?

VI
Far beyond help,
Beneath them she lay,
A final resting place
For Jenny McKay.
She couldn?t see their weeping faces,
Nor did she see their shameful gazes.
Her life had ended in exstacy,
She spent her last hours painfully,
Wondering about what she had seen,
Wondering about what could have been.
The head stone was slate,
A pale bluish gray.
The writing was barely visible
Behind the morning haze:
Here lies our Jenny
The prettiest girl there will ever be,
Lord we know she lost her way,
But help her find it again one day.
You, our Almighty,
Forgiver of sin- if it be written,
A place in your kingdom for all those who listen,
Please do grace us this one peace,
That if there is one open space,
If there is any possibility,
Please save it for Jenny.
-10.24.04

[Mellie]

Wow, that was really deep. I liked all the levels. It had a certain flow that just made it work. And the story was so sad...but it flowed on anyways...

[Eienvine]

So, I'm reviewing out of order- you posted this poem first but I read it after your other one. Sorry if that confuses you too much. A great poem! It did have a nice flow, like Mellie said, and a very open look at how someone might end up that way. I like your use of recurring themes/motifs throughout your poems- this time, the motif of "save it for me." Very nice. Hoorah for you.