The prompt for What's going on is Unspoken
I am from a culture where you clear the air as soon as possible People are direct and issues get sorted out quickly.
Even though the people in NZ are the sweetest I find it one of the hardest things that you sometimes get ghosted and have no clue what is going on.
A funny one I like
The Dutch are too honest to be polite
and the English are too polite to be honest
Unspoken
Sometimes things are left unspoken,
hovering in the eerie air
like ghosts longing to be seen.
They give a faint rattle
as silence feeds their rage,
while no one quite dares
to touch the questions in the room.
The ghost grows larger,
stands a little taller,
refuses to be erased.
The quiet becomes loud
it pierces through minds.
Then one steps from the corner
and touches the swollen
balloon of fear.
It releases its long-held breath
and the room exhales.
I think we have all been in circumstances like that.
ReplyDeleteHa! The dreaded elephant in the room watching that nobody utters a word about its presence. Having lived in the Netherlands for several months on three occasions, the directness and honesty was something that surprised "polite" me, but it turned out that it was something that I quickly learned to appreciate and imitate!
ReplyDelete"the swollen balloon of fear" Wow. The images in this poem resonate with me. Quiet does pierce and swell in these circumstances. Better to approach the rage.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful description of unspoken words - filling up like a balloon, that finally releases.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the feeling of being ghosted...very painful to endure. And yes, sometimes the questions hang in the air...with no one speaking at all. We have the expression "elephant in the room." You probably do too. I love your "funny one" and am trying to think which I prefer - the English way or the Dutch way. I think I prefer the Dutch way. Honesty is good...but then again, hmmmmm, polite is good too. So I don't know. Maybe I prefer honesty with a dash of politeness. Always glad to see you.
ReplyDeleteDear Marja, I think this resonates with many of us at some point in our lives.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing. ❤️
Fortunate are those who can confront and get issues cleared. Some avoid that fearing losing or hurting the feeling of a loved one, at the same time expecting them to understand. These unspoken words and unrealised expectation are cause of stress & misery....
ReplyDeleteLiked the poem and your introductory commentary setting context.
In other words people know without us saying it?
ReplyDeleteHet lijkt me pijnlijk en moeilijk om te accepteren waarom je wordt 'geghost' wanneer je niet weet wat de oorzaak is. Wanneer je mensen eerlijk tegemoet treedt, verwacht je dikwijls hetzelfde terug. Ik vrees dat ik inderdaad erg direct ben maar hopelijk niet bot.
ReplyDeleteGraag gelezen, Marja.
Oh that swollen balloon of fear - stick a pin in it, and then its just an outside skin.
ReplyDeleteI like that comment: the Dutch are too honest to be polite and the English are too polite to be honest. In many ways, that is very true, although I have met very many polite Dutch people and an equal number of impolite English folk. I am English, but lived in South Africa for twenty years and I've now lived in the Netherlands for 25 years, so I've experienced all three cultures for long periods. I've never been personally ghosted, but I can imagine that's hard to endure. My sympathies, Marja. Your poem is very evocative! Thank you!
ReplyDelete