The RetroLounge Daily Poem Thread (Sat 1/7/05)

[RetroLounge]

I never imagined the end of us

I never imagined the end of us
Occurring quite so quietly,
Slipping into the room unnoticed,
Pulling up a chair and politely
Crossing its legs, hands folded in its lap.

Instead I would have thought it
More bombastic and bellicose;
Desperate pleadings, angrier words.
But you merely nod your head
And whisper a monotone agreement.

Your words are cigarette smoke rings
Swirling inside recessed lighting,
Hanging for a beat
Before floating downward
In the thick, stilted air,
Settling weightless upon my lap,

And when I get up from my chair
They scatter onto the hardwood floor,
Waiting to be swept away.
Just a little more dust that has
Settled in the spaces between us.
Dead skin, peeled layers,
Scabs and scars and specks of blood.

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

I hope you don't mind me posting one of my own today.

It's a new one and maybe not finished yet, but it needed to come out...

:cry:

RL

[Heidi]

1. That's beautiful and sad, RL,

and hopeful, too, because you get up from the chair and go on. :hug:

[cassandra uprising]

2. I have no words...

Your pain is is made palpable in your craft.

:hug:

[Call Me Wesley]

3. Here's a poem for you:

I've met people who,
when you ask their name,
shyly -- as if they could hardly claim
the right to have a name --
answer 'Miss Christian' and then:
'like the first name', they wanted to make it easy to grasp
not a difficult name like 'Popiol' or 'Babendererde' --
'like the first name' -- please, don't strain your memory!

I have met people, who
grew up in a hovel with parents and four siblings
studied, nights, on the kitchen stove
with their fingers in their ears
made good, outwardly beautiful and ladylike like countesses
and inwardly gentle and conscientious like Nausicaa
who wore the pure brow of angels.

I've often asked myself where the gentle and good
come from and found no answer,
still don't know it today and have to go now.

Gottfried Benn

And I think I just found out where the gentle and good come from. Strength to you, RL.

[lizziegrace]

4. Putting words to the pain

something I could never do. Thank you. You're not alone in this.

[El Fuego]

5. RetroLounge, I had a dream about you last night

I'm serious. You (someone supposed to be you) were doing a poetry reading in a bookstore, and then you and I started talking about "Lady Lazarus" by Sylvia Plath.

I woke up thinking That's so freaking weird I'm dreaming about the Lounge!!! Aiieeee!!!!!

Just thought I'd share this bit of strangeness with you...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. Ah, my dear RetroLounge.....

Thank you for putting your heart and soul here for us to see.....

I love love love your own poem! It is so beautiful and perfect....

And maybe you will finish/polish it some more, but that doesn't matter now....

Because what you've said here today is perfect for today.

I give you much love, support and encouragement ....you, your wife and your beautiful children.....

:loveya: :grouphug: :pals:

[SeattleGirl]

7. RL, your words are beautiful, sad, hopeful

I've not read something by you before, and I want to say that you are very talented. Your heart is in your words, and your words touch me deeply. :hug: