The RetroLounge Daily Poem Thread (Thu 7/13/06)

[RetroLounge]

Cruelties

When Peter Lorre, Casablanca’s pathetic, good-hearted man,
said, “You despise me, don’t you?” and Bogart replied,
“Well, if I gave you any thought, I might,”

I laughed, which the movie permitted.
It had all of us leaning Bogart’s way.

“Nothing is funnier than unhappiness,” Beckett has one
of his characters say, as if it might be best
to invent others to speak certain things
we’ve thought and kept to ourselves.

If any of us, real or fictional, had said to someone,
“Nothing’s funnier than your unhappiness,”
we’d have entered another, colder realm,

like when news came that a famous writer had died
in an accident, and his rival said,
“I guess that proves God can read.”
Many of us around him laughed.
Then a dark, uneasy silence set in.

All day long, my former love, I’ve been revising
a poem about us. First, a gentle man
spoke it, then I gave the Devil a chance.
But you always knew my someone else
could only be me.

Stephen Dunn

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

RL

If you have a request for a certain Poet, post their name in the thread and I will find a poem by them and post it...

if you want to see some of my poetry, see the blog at:
http://www.myspace.com/retropaul

[miss_american_pie]

1. Ouch

You think people would know not to piss off a poet. ;)

[RetroLounge]

3. they have no idea what they have unleashed

:hi:

RL

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear Retro........

Ah, this one's very sad, IMHO.....

"...But you always knew my someone else
could only be me."

Especially those last 2 lines....

Beautiful, though.....

Thank you......

Are you plumbing the depths of your soul here?

[RetroLounge]

4. My soul is being transformed in the darkness

I have no control over the outcome...

RL

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. ......

:hug:

[lizziegrace]

6. ...

:hug:

How are you friend?

[RetroLounge]

7. Surviving...

:hug:

RL

[lizziegrace]

8. ...

:hug: :hug: :hug: