"The best deal is the one that makes the most profit." --Ferengi Rules of Acquisition, Rule #2.
I have been making some changes; scaling back.
Behold my lovers, who brought me poems in baskets and cages,
with locks and without, with good intentions and without.
Here they are,
male and female,
two by two,
plucked before the flood.
They are white and hollow, and have nothing to say.
I shake them; they grin and nod, just as they did in life, but the best thing is
that they now lack any flesh, and cannot shit me like before,
cannot use curve and skin to make me stupid
and set me to my writing like a trained seal clapping.
Nonetheless, the itch remains, a wind in my ear,
a crawly under the pillow case, the world's most beautiful bubo blooming
in places where the poems are kept.
Listen, they say, listen to us....
I have been making some changes, scaling back.
Mama croc is dead, my lovers rolled away like an aftershock,
and I've never been happier, but the vapors find their way up
through cracks in the foundation.
It's God, isn't it, mightier than the utility company,
whispering, instructing, handing me the Golden Wisdom which I spout,
serene as a vegetable,
no idea what I'm saying,
but free to say it and unencumbered by wondering what you'll think.
_____
for Brendan's "Voices" challenge at Real Toads.
"They are white and hollow, and have nothing to say.
ReplyDeleteI shake them; they grin and nod, just as they did in life, but the best thing is
that they now lack any flesh, and cannot shit me like before,
cannot use curve and skin to make me stupid
and set me to my writing like a trained seal clapping."
Shay--this stanza made me think of someone white (or rather orange) and hollow who had quite a day on Friday. I love Sam Cooke's song, but I wasn't hoping for THIS change...
There's a great freedom that comes with loss, but the crawlies remain. An exquisite poem, Shay, that echoes in the empty spaces love once filled with its adorable diamond-coated excrement. I love every line. My voices are so dim I can barely hear them any more--this human document written in gall and blood leaves us to wonder whether that is the worst or best thing of all.
ReplyDeleteI resonate with the peacefulness that comes when one has given us all the angst.......and also with the vapors coming up through the floorboards. A great write. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteSurely the last sibyl was exhilirated to find all the priests of Delphi splitsville, not to mentioned the goosing invective of Apollo: Down from the mountain, things are quieter, smaller, as you say, scaled back. Maybe now we'll the earth the f**ck alone. Thanks for joining in the challenge; everything shines here with a human light.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the purpose of an Oracle is not really what is said but what it means when listened to... But the great empires will crumble anyway if the river is crossed.
ReplyDeleteno idea what I'm saying,
ReplyDeletebut free to say it and unencumbered by wondering what you'll think.
I am captured by the serendipity of this line because it is exactly what I thought when I wrote my own poem this morning.. These voices of ours must be friends.
:)
deserves deeps digestion and gestation...
ReplyDeleteperfect musical accompaniment, too ~
ReplyDelete'Mama croc is dead, my lovers rolled away like an aftershock,
ReplyDeleteand I've never been happier, but the vapors find their way up
through cracks in the foundation.'
Outstanding metaphors in this excellent poem.
I agree with Sarah, I never met-a-phor I didn't like (or a pun) but yours are especially grand.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, this is absolutely incredibly penned, Shay!💜 Especially love "Nonetheless, the itch remains, a wind in my ear, a crawly under the pillow case, the world's most beautiful bubo blooming in places where the poems are kept. Listen, they say, listen to us.." sigh...💜
ReplyDelete~ no idea what I'm saying, but free to say it and unencumbered by wondering what you'll think. Takes a ton of effort to arrive at this place ~ thank you for writing it.
ReplyDeleteJust standing and applauding.
ReplyDeleteSurrender to the natural flow, it's easier...
ReplyDelete