Reanimated Lavender Granola Switchblade Nun rides again.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

A Spiny Demon

A spiny demon fell out of the chandelier and into my decolletage,
just as the aperitifs were being served.
There is only one thing for a lady to do when this happens,
and so I went to the kitchen and boiled him in a pot
like an artichoke.

The chef in his toque
and his staff in their amazement
gaped at me for crossing an unspoken boundary line,
but I was raised by wolves
and educated at Smith--
I can snarl with accent or without.

By this time I could see the spiny demon's breath,
though it may have been steam,
or just hot air.
Concerned for my manicure,
I plucked him from his impromptu bath with tongs,
and demanded to know if he had come
to try to collect my soul.

He clammed up, so I went next door,
holding him gingerly by the tail,
into the neighbor's house,
the Land That Time Forgot,
and played stoopball with him against the inside stairs.
I used a Babolat racket
and a wicked serve to make him talk.

Borrowing the jack from someone's Audi,
I opened his gob and got the truth out of him.
He had been spitting night into my stellar disposition,
while I slept,
innocent as a kitten.
I stashed his loathsome spiny self in the dishwasher
and, departing the neighbor's house,
I kicked off my Jimmy Choos, letting my bare feet sink into the wet grass.

The sun was coming up,
as yellow as a taxi cab,
so I started all over, despite my age, and despite convention.
What the hell, Bo Peep, I said to myself,
live a little, bring down a moose,
win a Pulitzer,
get a girlfriend.
Why not?
________

for mag 228

33 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Sorry, iPad typing leaves much to be desired!
    What I meant to say was ... when you post a poem and you know ~ you just know ~ we are going to love it, are you already thinking about the next Fireblossom offering or do you sit back and let this one sink in .. your imagination never ceases to amaze!

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  3. the imagery your mind comes up with...

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  4. A REAL poem with a tale, full and rich. Wonderful tone, atmosphere and irony, and what power in words. Sincerely enjoyed. Really enjoyed.

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  5. That ending is a call to the wild. Or, a call to get wild.

    Watch that manicure!

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  6. your creative, free spirit shines through here! and reading the previous post review - touching that you related to it so closely!

    i also wanted to thank you for commenting on my broken branch falls blog tour!

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  7. Exactly, why not! Such depth in your imagination, reveals the true story step, by worn step!

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  8. Startlingly innovative and inventive...

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  9. "A spiny demon fell out of the chandelier and into my decolletage," I do so hate it when that happens. Next time I'll know what to do with it! I just love (in no particular order) your writing, your sense of humor and this poem!

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  10. The sun was coming up,
    as you know me
    I roll over, despite my age, and despite meow
    What da BOOTIFUl sun, I said to myself,
    live like a lion king, bring down da body
    Win human heart
    Get some sun puddle.
    Why not ?

    Can you see ?...I did try :)

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  11. Waaaay too much fun! I appreciate the energy of this in this AM particularly. :)
    So much unexpected play, this really grabs one's attention and throttles it!
    Love! Thanks!

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  12. love this madly .. especially 'stoopball' a game i grew up playing!!!!!!!!

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  13. This is crazy good. And I love this line "I was raised by wolves
    and educated at Smith--
    I can snarl with accent or without."

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  14. Bo-peep's backstory- why not indeed!

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  15. Ah...boiling demons and Jimmy Choos...what's not to love in this? Who would have known such a tale could be seen in stairs with worn carpet. Love it!!

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  16. Love the being able to snarl with an accent and opening its gob with a jack. Such fantastic imagery.

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  17. As one who has had much truck with demons of the spiny(and spineless) variety, I commend your acumen, even elegance, in this difficult social situation. I also applaud your conclusion, and snorted coffee through my nose at 'The Land That Time Forgot." Dahling, you are exquisite! Detail drives deliciousness in this one.

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  18. What an amazing tale to spin from the picture! That spiny demon is another fabulous invention to add to your Bestiary.

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  19. Greatly creative at every turn! if I ever catch the spiny devil that's been playing with my plunging neck/bust line, I hope to treat him with equal aplomb before starting over!

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  20. "but I was raised by wolves
    and educated at Smith--
    I can snarl with accent or without."

    I always wanted to claim multilingual snarling abilities.

    This is exciting, Fireblossom. ;-D

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  21. Why not, indeed? Then you'll have even more to write about! I love the being raised by wolves and educated at Smith!!! cackle.

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  22. What a way to start the day... :-)

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  23. What a way to start the day... :-)

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  24. What can I say? Excellent, vivid and satisfying reading. I love it.

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  25. Suprisingly beautifull... I loved loved it...

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  26. Suprisingly beautifull... I loved loved it...

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  27. I'd like to spend just one day in your head.... Love this piece!

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  28. That demon never stood a chance! "Raised by wolves and educated at Smith!" What a lethal combination!

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  29. A lot of spiny fun here--agree with Hedge--great details--Smith graduates are in fact not to be tussled with! I am not one but know several--they tend to be a pretty determined lot. Super clever. Thanks. (This is manicddaily)k.

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  30. What a fun romp of a poem. You're amazing with what you can do with a picture:~)

    There's a touch of Babs in this poem, at least to me:~)

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  31. Started smiling at the opening line and still am...

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  32. Wow.....I am in awe of your tale spinning Shay! I think you could weave an amazing tale from a toothpick. :-)

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Spirit, what do you wish to tell us?