Wild tuxedo
giving me that give-a-shit look
careful as a politician
cold as a chain link fence in November
eyes gorgeous as turquoise earrings.
Wild Tuxedo
mother to the one that lived
Is he lazing in someone's home?
Is he by the road and nothing but bones?
There is hunger and then there is hunger.
The set-out bowl is always empty
in the morning
when the traffic hums.
Wild Tuxedo
distrustful as a third wife
hardy as a weed
I wake up worrying about you sometimes
because
There is hunger and there is hunger.
There is the moon,
the refrigerator kicking on
the clock ticking
and offered love you spurn without a thought.
_______
"There is hunger and there is hunger." I love your labels right along with the so-amazing poem.
ReplyDeleteThis brought tears to my eyes. The price of being wild is a high one, sometimes all you have. You live hard on the edge, and in the end, you die alone. So many exquisite lines that carry an instant kick in their visuals, in particular the third through seventh, and the last two stanzas--everything balanced and complete, and totally concentrated on the narrative without bathos but not without love or compassion. A fine poem, Shay.
ReplyDeleteI love the name “wild tuxedo”—it could apply to anything: a plant, a bird, the title of a book you’re working on.
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite: “eyes gorgeous as turquoise earrings”
It's about a tuxedo cat, but i didn't add an explanatory note. I decided to leave it up to the reader, like you're saying.
DeleteI should have figured that out, with the set-out bowl. That was a huge clue.
DeleteCatlick Girl ... I really like you.
ReplyDelete