in 1917 we got nine gates opened
for the folks who somehow
forgot how to be sweet
it was in the spring tides where there were
trees that bloomed before the grasses
these little reach bombs
for being taken with after winter
for sake and hold little bracelets
dollops and traipses
path skipping to the loo(s)
my darling I wear
my escapist dreams
very clearly towards
a home I am never quite
sure of knowing...
did or do I know
they are all born
in places like sugar cane fields
where have you been I been we been
where haven't I stolen into you
where wear wears you where I can't reach you...
we once said
we'd never forget
our story so try
stone letters we knew
ewe could carry home
we can park
here, seas of charcoal smolder
in a raw cling to
the seasons
little bracelets burn
s-ees dunes
oceans tongue
river to rain
old mountains
to shores lined
with tales
in the grains
you can tell
this one smelled
of the hopper and ant
an old men selling
rice and caution
against being lazy
i never listened...
yes those were plants and bees
littlebraceletsfindmebeggingplease
youknewtoaskkindforgets
iknowido
wanttoreach
meMayU
little brace let me walk
a lit belle race lit tell taste
where I last wore myself
with what I earned
from living well
the best times I ever had
I never had to find myself
all grown up
working hard in...
pollen in lace beets
brace for pace beats
lets me net fish
stocks the ponds
watches legs wear
little bracelets too
anklets darling, now
I need new shoes
EJR ©
Wild escapism that launches into surreal connections with hints of inner realities. A fascinating read.
ReplyDeletewhat I fell asleep to
ReplyDeletethe music of you
crying little diamonds
to keep me marrow warm
against your anklet-n-night
we were walking beaches
hearing surf say
it was alive
when they
were mountains
EJR ©
I feel like you pass through dreams and mares... Is the bracelet in reality a cuff?
ReplyDeleteFascinating how one line weaves into the other and draws the reader down, down, down the steps or into the depths. I enjoyed!
ReplyDeletethat was a wild walk through those gates - feels like a hallucination - enjoyed the read
ReplyDeleteSurreal journey down the rabbit hole of words, though there is a thread of being lost and trying to recall what was important, even though it'd be easier just to stay lost.
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DeleteBeautifully crafted piece with such an intense usage of diction.
ReplyDeleteSurreal, There is a melding of freedom with restriction...Prisoner with a mind that is free of an ankle chain.. This will take several readings and that is a good thing. Thanks so much for writing and sharing your work in the garden.
ReplyDeleteI most love:
ReplyDeletemy darling I wear
my escapist dreams
very clearly towards
a home I am never quite
sure of knowing...
Wow. A poem with great movement that waltzed me down the page.
Of all this captures me:
ReplyDelete"seas of charcoal smolder
in a raw cling to
the seasons
little bracelets burn "
Great write!
You have a great flow going here. I became quite caught up in the stream of consciousness (if somewhat in need of unravelling at times, and back-pedalling). So much to admire, but especially this:
ReplyDeletemy darling I wear
my escapist dreams
very clearly towards
a home I am never quite
sure of knowing...
PS. I see I'm not the only one to single out those lines.
DeleteI know the good stuff when I see it.
These are the lines that caught me
ReplyDelete"the best times I ever had
I never had to find myself
all grown up
working hard in..." An interesting journey this one, I know I will gain more and more by reading again and again :-)
Love this, especially:
ReplyDelete"and hold little bracelets
dollops and traipses
path skipping to the loo(s)"
I don't usually like this kind of poetry but when you do it I love it. There is mystery and whimsy in the wordplay, and also meaning, multiple meanings. And you make it so beautifully evocative, I almost become the speaker myself.
ReplyDeleteExcellent!
ReplyDeleteAs always you are the paramour of words, Edward. This begs for sound, for the sibilance of lips as I mumble it out aloud and still like seawater it hisses away, teasing my ankles, tempting me in deeper. There is love, war and wreck here, shellshock and trauma, along with all the purity of a surprised beauty. Such a pleasure to see you at toad's.
ReplyDeleteyou have a clarity of voice amidst chaos - or rather, not chaos, but complexity ~
ReplyDelete