Reanimated Lavender Granola Switchblade Nun rides again.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Joan Of Arc


Joan of Arc

I wanted to just play my silly-girl part,
But I'm heavy with visions, old from the start;
I wanted kisses, dresses, a canopy bed--
But I am holy and lonely Joan instead.

I hear voices, which are my poems.
I see saints, which are my better impulses.

I have my horse, whose soft brown nostrils flare,
My sword and my cross and my short-shorn hair;
The sun bakes down, my saddle creaks
And it goes on like this for weeks...and weeks.

I know the night, which is my sister.
I know the want for a woman, which is my sentence.

What can anyone do to me, or do for me?
They've already reduced me to smoke and glory;
But inside my armor, I've re-formed and I sear
And I'll smoulder like this for years...and years.

I love the high grass and the red-winged blackbird.
I long for a French girl and la fin de la guerre.

I only wanted some charm and some looks,
Never my face in old history books;
No statue all pigeon-shit, stood in the park,
Not this lonely and burning sweet bitch Joan of Arc.

8 comments:

  1. I like the voice you've given Joan here and the rhythm is lovely too

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  2. Thank you, Crafty Green Poet. I'm fascinated by St. Joan.

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  3. lol shay, only you could wrote this! it has your original shay signature all over it, and i don't know whether to supress a smirk or feel sad, so i feel both emotion in the one moment. v.well written. bravo. x

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  4. Hmm, I seem to do that to you, don't I, K, leave you smirking and emoting all at once. But you're a sturdy Cap goat, you can deal!

    Thanks for commenting. My blog just wasn't complete until you did.

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  5. Oh God, heart-breakingly real. Few people choose their fate, destiny is a cruel mistress. You craft your words so well. x

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  6. Thanks, Shrinky. This is my favorite from among my own poems.

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  7. "Joan" by Lene Lovich is running through my head. I Googled and found a page listing all songs with references to Joan of Arc.
    Joan Link

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  8. "I wanted to just play my silly-girl part,
    But I'm heavy with visions"

    I hear ya, Joan.

    Wow:
    "I know the night, which is my sister.
    I know the want for a woman, which is my sentence." ... And I actually first read "sentence" as it relates to writing poems, rather than how it relates to a punishment or a form of suffering.

    "I long for a French girl and la fin de la guerre" ... I like this. The end of the war indeed.

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Spirit, what do you wish to tell us?