If you were the last man
You’d lie back in a hammock
Perhaps, and smoke thick
Cigars, you’d plume dirty
Rings up against the sunlight
Mottles that fleet across
Your face, ‘What luck is this,’
You’d murmur, smug curling
Up in the corners of a smile
Like a cat, you’d snap fingers –
Click – serving girl come quick,
Performing girls, flexible girls;
For when you are the last man
You are prone to whimsy.
You’d swagger and wink probably,
Lean into a lazy gait, you’d forget
About the sneaking complacency
Of tyranny, dismiss the rumours
As kitchen chatter, you wouldn’t
Hear the draw of bow across barren
Amazon breast or the whistle
Of an arrow from its brawny
Handed release, just the cry
Of ‘Even if you were the last man!’
And the low, sour hush of death.
Comments
Ewan | June 15, 2008 - 15:07
I'm wiping a tear from my eye as I type...
Very funny and wicked!
In the following I like the way the speech and the 'you'd murmur' is split not only by a line break but a stanza break, taking me into my favorite part:
‘What luck is this,’
You’d murmur, smug curling
Up in the corners of a smile
Like a cat, you’d snap fingers –
Click – serving girl come quick,
Performing girls, flexible girls;
For when you are the last man
You are prone to whimsy.'
Prone to whimsy, A1. A cherry on this one for me...
but what do I know?
regards Ewan.
Doeslittle | June 15, 2008 - 15:31
Thanks Ewan. I got the idea from my friend yesterday who was telling me about his latest graphic novel called The Last Man and this last man is hunted down by Amazons apparently...
chuck | June 15, 2008 - 17:19
Very nice. I'm prone to a bit of whimsy myself but only when the Amazons aren't around.
Dynamaso | June 16, 2008 - 07:12
Ah, yes, 'Y: The Last Man' is a great graphic novel series. I knew this reminded me of something.
This is very good indeed.
jennifer | June 17, 2008 - 10:42
I wonder what the Last Man will look like and whether I'd shoot him?!
This is just great, especially -
'smug curling
Up in the corners of a smile
Like a cat'
Doeslittle | June 18, 2008 - 00:07
Well, I'm not sure it's anything like the graphic novel. My friend didn't say what happened in it...just the title and mentioned the Amazons and I took it from there. I may have to read it now just to see what really happens in it. Thanks for all the comments.