Reanimated Lavender Granola Switchblade Nun rides again.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
God and Eros
As a child, I was given a skull and a knife to play with.
I turned the skull on its back, so it could look up and see God.
I gave it the knife for an eye, to sharpen its vision.
I said, "Dollie, what do you see?"
She said, "One eye sees a silver blade,
The other sees a table of sky."
For a long time, we played God and Girl,
My knife-eyed Dollie and me.
She said, "The clouds are plates,
The birds are tea cups."
I said, "Here are my fingers for spoons,
And a sugar of bones for our bowl."
My mother was angry that year.
She blew through like sleet.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, cleverly using the Wind's voice to accuse.
"Playing church," I lied.
When I grew up, I used knife-eyed Dollie's face to make some Woman love me.
"You see so much," she said.
I am the restless wolf with the moon in its mouth.
I make crows crazy with their own very blackness.
"Good girl," said the Woman,
And I kissed her hard.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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I'm finishing up a book that I think is right up your alley. Check out "Chasing The Moon" by A. Lee Martinez if you get a chance.
ReplyDeleteI'm unsure if I'd like to be the man who doesn't exist, number zero, or The Great Thing at the center of the universe. Choices, choices...
you are that cool...
ReplyDeleteplaying church, snort...knives for eyes for sure...
you have such the way with story telling shay...
good girl!
ReplyDeleteThat's kind of cool that the doll talked. :)
ReplyDeleteShay,
ReplyDeleteThere are so many lines in the poem that I love and yes, I'm going to share them again...
"My mother was angry that year.
She blew through like sleet."
That's makes me "see" exactly the type of anger with the words, "like sleet."
And then these:
"I make restless wolves run down the moon.
I make crows crazy with their own blackness."
I could read these lines again and again.
It's so amazing that you can write at this level so often:~)
One of my faves of yours, and I love them all, so this one is extra special. The mother blowing through like sleet. Oh yeah! The birds that are teacups. The restless wolves running down the moon. Making crows crazy. Oh, my. I simply read, with wonder and amazement, every single time and every single time I ask myself: how does she DO it? I am just so very glad that you do!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy mother seemed angry for 18 years, then I flew the coop and i think she turned out okay.
ReplyDeleteA sugar of bones in a bowl -- freaking LOVE that, Shay!
xoxo
This makes me restless and want to run down the moon!
ReplyDeleteThis is sharp as that knife's blade.
Bone deep chill here for me, yet and yet, the Bad Seed can be pulled up by the roots and the ground become quite useful for wolves and their dinners...or so the eye sockets seem to see.
ReplyDeleteThe angry mother blowing through like sleet is a great image! And I love the way you took the iconic creepy childhood doll and really went with it!
ReplyDelete"Good girl," said the Woman,
ReplyDeleteAnd I kissed her hard."
great ending to another amazing poem, Shay. i don't think i could handle spending too much time in your mind, but i sure do love what comes out of it!
dani
yaaa...baby
ReplyDeletexx
Holy Fuck - yeah, that's my response.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely nailed this to a cross and have risen to new heights!
You were one with the muse Shay - totally, emphatically rocked this.
I am the restless wolf with the moon in its mouth might just be my favourite line ever.
ReplyDeleteI turned the skull on its back, so it could look up and see God.
ReplyDeleteI gave it the knife for an eye, to sharpen its vision.
It doesn't get more brilliant than that.