The RetroLounge Daily Poem Thread (Tue 1/3/06)

[RetroLounge]

Bluegrass

- - - After a photograph by Ralph Eugene Meatyard

He scales the mile through waist-high weeds
from the old county road to the open doorway,
carrying a thin black case and a red steel can.
The farm house sits high upon a knoll, its walls
unpainted, buckling outward around windows
boarded and shuttered, prepared for a storm.
Entering, he drops the can and opens the case,
removing a tarnished flute, its dull shine
like an unpolished diamond. He steps outside
and lifts the flute to his lips in a chromatic kiss
appreciated only by himself. He returns here
every week to an image of an evening spent
in front of the hearth, the percussive popcorn
of split oak logs accompanying his wife's fiddle,
his flute and the neighbors' guitar and mandolin.
They called it bluegrass, but nothing grows here now.

Stepping inside once again, he sets the flute on top
of a three-legged stool and leaves. Tossing a wooden
match through the doorway, he turns and walks
the mile back down the hill, his arms outstretched,
brushing the tops of the weeds until he's back
at the road. He turns and lights a cigarette,
listening as the sound of crackling oak walls
keep time with the music in his chest.

********************************

Hope you don't think me too pretentious to post one of my own poems...

Published: CREAM CITY REVIEW - Spring 93 (17.1)

RL

[threehensandacow]

1. pretentious, you?

of course not. was waiting for you to post one of your own. good morning.

[RetroLounge]

4. Good Morning.

:hi:

RL

[threehensandacow]

2. oh,

and it's 2006. just so you know.

[RetroLounge]

3. Fixed

As a writer, it's nice to have an editor.

thanks

RL

[In_The_Wind]

5. Ah ~ at last!

It's not too pretentious at all!

It's beautiful.

Thank you for sharing one of your own.

[RetroLounge]

7. Thank you

:blush:

RL

[Callalily]

6. Thanks for sharing RL

and if you have more, please post away. It's a lovely poem, I can almost hear the flute, feel the solitude.

[RetroLounge]

8. I have more, yes.

But I will toss them out only every once in a while.

:hi:

RL

[swimboy]

9. That one is gonna stay with me.

Thanks, RL. :hug:

[RetroLounge]

10. Glad you like it!

means a lot to me. Thanks.

:hug:

RL

[lizziegrace]

11. Haunting

Thank you for posting one of your own.

[RetroLounge]

15. You are welcome...

:hi:

RL

[GOPisEvil]

12. Very interesting work.

Lots of subtext, if you're willing to open your mind. It's an easy poem to make personally relevant.

[RetroLounge]

20. Thanks!

:hi:

RL

[miss_american_pie]

13. Lovely

Thank you for sharing your talent.

[RetroLounge]

18. You are welcome

:hi:

RL

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. What a beautiful image!

I love how you weave the inner feelings into the outer physical reality!

Thank you so much, my dear RetroLounge.....

Happy New Year, my dear......I hope it is, for you and yours.....


:hug:

[RetroLounge]

17. Glad you liked it My Dear Peggy...

It is an older one, but I have a series of these poems all based on or insired by photographs by the gentleman I mention in the Poem, Ralph Eugene Meatyard. An old roomy of mine had a book of his photos,and I found them quite disturbing and inspiring at the same time. Someday I hope to go back to these older poems and polish them up.

If you google him, you'll find some nice examples of his work.

:hug:

RL

[LaraMN]

16. Beautiful, RL.

Very effective imagery. Even my tired mind could appreciate your depiction. I hope you continue to write such lovely nuggets. I'm so glad you felt comfortable enough to share with all of us!

[RetroLounge]

19. Thanks for the kind words

:hi:

RL

[RevCheesehead]

21. "disturbing and inspiring" describes it well.

It raises more questions, as all good art should.
Do you have a photo of the inspiration?

It's also rather sad, isn't it? :( :hug:

[RetroLounge]

22. Yes, rather sad

I have a xerox somewhere of the original photograph...

RL