Poetry, Quadrille, Theme Prompt, Word Challenge, Writing Challenge, Writing Prompts

Overcompensation

Nancy's Notes 🖊️♬

Written for dVerse Poets Pub
where our host, Punam, asks
us to write a quadrille based
on the theme “I Protest”.

Image by Me & Gemini

“I’m fine,” she said,
then said it twice more ….
a tidy protest
against a truth
sitting quietly in her chest.
She laughed too fast,
smiled too wide,
insisting so hard, so often,
the whole muted room began
to wonder what,
exactly,
she was defending.


NAR©2026
44 Words

This is “Starring Role” by Marina & The Diamonds

Quadrille #354: I Protest

Everything on the elephant trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicate, and may not be used without permission. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.

35 thoughts on “Overcompensation”

  5. Oh, it could be anything, couldn’t it? I grew up learning not to complain, not to speak up, not to make things difficult – so it is hard to unlearn these unhealthy responses and it becomes automatic. Very hard to break out of, really.

    Such a clever poem.

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  13. A sterling capture in this quadrille, Nancy. So many of my friends make ‘tidy protests’ and profess to being fine, and I too have been guilty of laughing too fast and smiling too wide’.

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  15. She laughed too fast, smiled too wide’ Nancy, you’ve written the anatomy of denial in a quadrille. The irony is perfect: she protests so hard that the silence itself becomes the loudest truth. That final line breaks something open ‘the whole muted room began to wonder what, exactly, she was defending.’ The protest betrays itself. Brilliant work. 💙

    Much love,
    Khadija 💕🤗

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