Go down to the greenhouse and gather the blooms,
then scatter them all in separate rooms--
the rose on the grate of the fireplace cold
to lie there and die there as we grow old.
The arrangements are odd and enigmatic,
the occupants frail and most asthmatic
afflicted with allergies, fear and despair
made worse by the stale and fetid air.
Though we gasp our devotion like fish in a boat
and confess our passion by rite and rote,
we're as blinkered as babes, as clear as bells
as we rise from the drink on our half-assed shells.
_________
for Word Garden Word List--First Love
I love the excellent rhyming in this perfect poem.
ReplyDeleteJust figured out this was me, Sherry.
DeleteI love how you play with tone and texture - soft to start, then crisp - I really became captivated and drawn in - Jae
ReplyDeletei'm still on my first marriage, but it's been resurrected at least three times (i've lost count). this feels like a mantra to me. i'm placing it in my private journal for future reflection (my eyes only)-- with all my other little "buried" treasures. xx, ren
ReplyDeleteThe nuance of this certainly fits the bleached neurasthenia of many a failing coupling, full of pretense and listlessness, ambiguity and a never admitted despair...only enhanced by the lively contrast of the sparkling cadence and rhyme. I know it exactly describes the end days of my own third marriage, barren as a fish's gasped declarations, asthmatically wheezing out commonplaces and watching the roses die on a cold hearth. First love is an inspiration miles away from this last fading place, or at least so I, with a somewhat prejudiced eye, read. Excellent writing, as always, Shay.
ReplyDeleteI'm always amazed when someone gets married for the fourth time or more. Somehow the third time around might hold a bit of hope, but after that I think I'd give up. I think your poem captures that third time so well, at least how it seems to me only having witnessed "third time's a charm" from the outside. "Glass menagerie" seems perfectly fitting, also, from my viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteHow did I miss commenting on this wonderfully rhyming poem? Somehow I thought I had. I love the lilt of it, and the wry wit: "gasp our devotion like fish in a boat". Spot on! I love it.
ReplyDelete"Though we gasp our devotion like fish in a boat" is a great image. Fun write, except for the sad despair. LOL!
ReplyDelete