3 new ones
Outside the coffee shop my friend's face contorted in
agony of anticipation, hearing funeral instead of a few new,
and immediately I strove to write a funeral poem
that might cheer him up.
So I thought
what about the funeral for hate?
The death of fear and loss, deception and ambition,
what about the funeral for pain and vanity and want,
need and humiliation; the deaths of disease and loneliness
and worry, trauma and torture and rape.
I thought it might be good and nice to imagine the deaths of
confusion and dispair and jealousy and isolation.
The end ceremonies for ignorance and dicotomy and pride.
I was guided to think of a funeral for darkness and destruction,
treachery and conceit. Funerals for extortion and waste and murder
Here lies our old friend
murder
Good by Good by Good by
farewell and thanks for all
the great thrillers and episodes
legends and poetry
Death, you old phoney
by by and thanks for the threats and nightmares
and panic, now I can look forward to the funeral for war,
your child and colleague, cause and result.
But those things will never have funerals, to be gone,
they must needs have been forgotten.
*******************
I am sitting here at my alter in the woods trying to
prepare myself for the arrivals of those who never have
nor can really know or appreciate me and wish I could take
this air and wind and light forever with me. Wish the love of
my buried friends could follow and comfort me into
my frightening ceremonials, my lonely night.
At least I know the feeling of kind acceptance, can come back
to love.
*********************
Long ago, when I loved a man and he left me for a younger woman,
I called after him and a man who chose to help with my humiliation
cautioned me that I should not lose my dignity. I was wretched and
hot and lost and threatened, choking in my unwanted solitude. He
burned me with the word. But now I marvel at my courage and bold
emotional array as I spewed and rankled and gasped in the hideous
wake of their sexual desperation. I was explicitly wounded. I hurled
the essence of my torture and sought refuge in actual spirits. I found
an honest pain. How is this not dignified?
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12 comments:
Not bad, particularly the first two (the third just sounds a little TOO painful!). Does the first poem start right from the beginning, with the little explanation serving as the first stanza? If so, neat; it's a great little 'postmodern' effect.
I have to remind myself to leave you a private message at the IMDb, containing a work in progress of mine: a fairly lengthy piece of free verse entitled 'Resurrestion'. It's the first piece of non-satirical free verse I've worked on in years, preferring to concentrate on haiku, ghazal and other Eastern styles of poetry over the past decade or so. It serves as sort of an 'answer' to William S. Burroughs's 'Apocalypse', making references to several facets of youth pop culture over the past 50 years, including The World of Henry Orient. It's not the greatest thing I've ever composed by any means, but it's certainly been fun writing...so far--I still haven't settled on how I'm going to end it.
Yes, its all one poem. I'll acccept not bad. It's really tough to put all this up as it happens. I thought I always wanted to go public, but now am not so sure. I don't feel so great about the awful scrutiny. I'm not hard headed at all. We'll see
Also, I have been through alot of very traumatic stuff, it is in the fiber of my life, my mind, it is in my language, it must show up in my poetry.
You're doing fine, Elizabeth. Don't go losing your nerve on us. And keep on writing what you feel, thus letting the trauma out--it's cathartic.
By the way, speaking of writing, Aren't you missing a complete blog entry? I seem to recall an analysis of American politics posted since the piece on homelessness. What happened to that...?
I thought the poem was incredibly generous and up beat.
Actually I found the com ents of this person extremely condescending and annoying. What the hell, who do you think you are? Depressing? So the fuck what! It was what I was going through, meant so much to me to be able to write about it. Danm. Politeness has its place but not with regard to my art or creative choices, no.
Jeez, I was only trying to encourage you. You sounded as if you were having doubts about even starting your blog. As for the 'depressing' aspects, I was only referring to the way in which the poem's subject matter left me feeling--it had no bearing on whether or not the poem was good or bad. If you check through the comments I've left here and at the World of Henry Orient board on the IMDb, you shall find I've really had nothing but positive things to say about you and your creativity. You seem to have interpreted the comments I've made in the wrong spirit. I've been publishing poetry and other writing for years, and I personally wish you would write more. Take care, Elizabeth.
Miss Elizabeth Your poems are beautiful, I love your blog, I must thank you actually,I found your blog while I was going through alot of diffult things and it really helped me ALOT, whenever I feel down I always re-read your blog entries, Thank Elizabeth and PLEASE write more!
I'm trying to post here but can't get through some crazy barrier
R.W. your "not bad" was quite the faint praise. It finally got to me in a fit of peak, a terrible calamitous event that drove me to rant. Really, "not bad" isn't a very positive phrase, kid.
You don't have to like what I write but when commenting on someones personal art, be prepared to receive an honest response.
There are many nuances of the term "not bad", and, unless expressing them via 'concrete' spelling, they are virtually undetectable in the written word; they depend on oral delivery. Anyway, the "not bad" that I intended for your pieces was of the "Not bad! Not bad!" variety, as opposed to the "Well...not baaaddd" nuance. Okay? Cool?
But something tells me that something more engrossing than perceived slights regarding poetry lay beneath your little rant. Is everything okay lately, Elizabeth? You sound like you could use a few good warm hugs. If so, I know how you feel. People have been wondering where you are and what's wrong--you haven't been putting in appearances at the IMDb.
Anyway, I hope things are working out for you, and I do wish you would write more poetry and make more installments on this blog. Have you considered submitting some of your material to the online poetry/literary e-zines...? I'm sure there's a place for you.
At the time of my writing this, it's officially New Year's Eve; so I'll probably be watching The World of Henry Orient again tonight. That's become a bit of a New Year's ritual for me. Take care, Elizabeth. I hope there's no hard feelings.
Happy New Year's!
Well, it looks like you've hit the Big 63 mark by now. Hope your birthday has been a pleasant one. Take care....
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