Reanimated Lavender Granola Switchblade Nun rides again.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Chinese Box

The restaurant was a Chinese box.
My order was wrong,
then right,
then wrong again.

The waiters were men,
then women,
then men.

You were angry with me,
then not;
then you weren't you, or at least,
didn't seem to be.

An alchemist came and turned the soup to stone,
the stone to a poem,
together to alone,
despite all assurances printed on the menu card.

Lunch for 2.
Dinner for 4.
In your hand an apple,
then nothing; then a core.

I said, "My love...my love...my love...my love...."
as I dug with my fingers all the way through the world,
to find a hard queen, a woman dissolved
in your eye looking back saying, "Now what, girl?"
_______

For "Play It Again, Toads" at The Imaginary Garden. I was inspired by the image at top, which is by my dear friend Daryl Edelstein, and also by the image below, which was taken by Karin Gustafson.
 Optional--and quite insane--musical accompaniment.
 

13 comments:

  1. WoW! Fantastic write. I like the alternating "menu", and the search, which seems to go on forever...I know that feeling!

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  2. There is something of new and deja vu simultaneously.. the endless loop and yet that anchor.. only a gaze can give.

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  3. Oh, it's good to be back and reading your poetry. Wow, this line really got to me: "as I dug with my fingers all the way through the world," That's beautiful as was this entire poem. I also love the quote by Marina Tsvetaeva. It made me smile and laugh!

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  4. This is just incredibly cool and smart. Love this, Shay.

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  5. You hit just the same surreal note as that line of clocks--reality that is so instantly changed and ramified by every sort of shift that it becomes unreal. And you are totally correct about the musical accompaniment--as wild and discordant as the rush of the poem.

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  6. Shoots, you are GOOD

    "An alchemist came and turned the soup to stone,
    the stone to a poem,
    together to alone,
    despite all assurances printed on the menu card.

    Lunch for 2.
    Dinner for 4.
    In your hand an apple,
    then nothing; then a core."

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  7. this felt like a nightmarish sort of dream - rather like Alice in Wonderland. Wonderful!!

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  8. The synchronicity of this clicks, and stings.
    Love this bit best:
    "An alchemist came and turned the soup to stone,
    the stone to a poem,
    together to alone"

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  9. like all the previous comments stated, this took me for a journey much like a dream where there are a lot of scenarios all juxtaposed. that is how we dream isn't it?

    gracias for the journey

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  10. Fantastic! Clever and salty and sweet. A delightful read. I always, always read your work and love it but seldom comment. I am here and taking in what you create and appreciating it always, even though I don't always tell you. Thanks for being who you are and sharing your self.

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  11. This sounds like a dreamscape, surreal, Alice-in-Wonderlandish and just enough hint of the dark side.

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  12. Lunch for 2.
    Dinner for 4.
    In your hand an apple,
    then nothing; then a core.

    Love the rhythm and rhyme of this stanza!

    Pat
    Critter Alley

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Spirit, what do you wish to tell us?