Estella

· by · in dVerse, free verse, poetry. ·

Beloved hated spinster. You bought me for a purpose,
for the green hard pebbles of your eyes. For wishes
of his death. For every death, you chained my heart,
froze it to entrap. sleepless nights. With skin

as peach i tempt. I am a voice devoid of seeds
for loath, but I’m your charm, corsair, your sword.
For this I wish your death, for craves you planted
for the pilfered gold, for my suitor’s blood.

Your hate’s my spine, my ribs your filthy lace
my lure from curses puce are mares of mine.
The corpses at my feet are yours, my honey-
moon your tender agony. I am your voice, the burns

of past deceptions, your spiderwebs and mold.
I have tried in vain to maim the only one I love,
the orphan you once brought as plaything, to cripple
not to kill him. I beg him spared from your crusade.

Estella and Miss Havisham

For dVerse, Mary wants us to write a response to another poet’s poem. In last week’s persona prompt Georgina hinted at a persona poem about Miss Havisham, by Carol Ann Duffy. A spectacular poem about a woman scorned. I didn’t want to use Pip to write a response, but Estella who was brought up to be the tool of Miss Havisham’s vengeance. Dickens is great inspiration for character description, and I found Estella to be one of the more believable female characters.

37 responses to “Estella”

  1. Bro— This is my new favorite of yours! W-O-W!!! Seriously powerful. I love it, and I hope to read more feisty works like this in the future. You are such a strong poet!

    I just got new headphones today, but I left them in the car. For this, though, I’m gonna run right back out there and get them.

    I actually prefer NOT knowing the intended story-line ahead of time. It’s fun info at the end, but I’m glad I don’t have to let it taint my reading if I don’t choose to.

    This is all insanely good, but these are the best sections, in my opinion:
    “for the green hard pebbles of your eyes”
    “as peach i tempt. I am a voice devoid of seeds”
    “I’m your charm, corsair”
    “Your hate’s my spine, my ribs your filthy lace” (my absolute fave, these last five words)
    “The corpses at my feet are yours”
    “I have tried in vain to maim the only one I love”

    Some people just refuse to be hurt. I think it’s a prudent approach, don’t you?

      • I should read it. You’re right. And I will. I’ve seen the movie of course; it’s one of my favorites. She is a fascinating character, to be sure. And I could never tire of Gwyneth and Ethan. They’re both so dreamy!

      • Oh, super. I’ll look it up. Feel free to email me any book titles or links you think I should read. I’ll get to them eventually! Did I tell you I’m homeschooling all 4 of my kids now? It’s a nutty wonderland around here. 🙂

  3. I can feel the fervor in this poem, the strength, the determination, the anger, the hatefulness. Vivid, strong reactions with powerful words! I really like the direction you took here, Bjorn. Whew!

  4. Great emotional depth to this, and some of your metaphors are stunning. Apparently I’m not the only one who was captured by the “green hard pebbles of your eyes”.

  5. Great Expectations are what we have all come to have as we click over to your spirited site several times weekly. This is a strong reminder of why your fan base continues to swell. It is truly like a page or two right out of the novel; terrific, authentic, passionate; a fine effort, brother.

    • PS: Had to come back for a second read. Realized I forgot to mention that you KNOW I LOVE this hyphen:
      “honey-
      moon your tender agony.”
      Which, of course, renders “moon” as verb. YES.

  7. I am so in tune with this little story of Dickens. So intense, how you painted her. I am enthralled

  9. Hi, this is an impressive poem. I have’nt read this novel, but your powerfully emotive description of Estelles character, and her effect on you, is recommendation, if I needed it.

  12. Very impressive response Bjorn ~ Love the character portrayal and this part is my favorite:

    Your hate’s my spine, my ribs your filthy lace
    my lure from curses puce are mares of mine.
    The corpses at my feet are yours, my honey-
    moon your tender agony. I am your voice, the burns

    of past deceptions, your spiderwebs and mold.

  13. I love, “the green hard pebbles of your eyes” and “The corpses at my feet are yours”—such emotion in those words and so perfect for this piece!

  17. Oh what people can do to one another. The emotions are so strong in this, Bjorn…the vehemence of her anger and her begging plea to spare her friend.

  19. …your hate’s my spine…..the orphan you once brought as plaything….All these words, lines, phrases within these…and to the end.
    There is so much intensity in the piece. It is, in a word, ferocious!

  21. This is an enthralling narrative.. reminiscent of the Gothic novel. I get the allusion to the Dickens but this could stand alone, a story in itself.

  22. Yes, Estella is an interesting character. I think she was particularly well-drawn as the nasty, capricious little girl whom Pip first met. Dickens must have known girls like that when he was a boy! I like your poem very much, and it was a pleasure to hear it read aloud too.

  25. you caught my attention from Line 1 to the end, and i was happy to read when i got to the process note, that my thoughts where there with you in sync

    much love…

  27. Hey Bjorn–very cool. There’s a wonderful book that tells Great Expectations from Magwich’s perspective, called Jack Maggs, by Peter Carey–you might like it. Dickens is also a character. k.

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