Even in death you look pretty

Would you like me now
Mr Death?

Up high on catatonia hill
wrapped in an aureole of
aloneness, too far away to care
about my messy hair or the pimples
on my forehead

When I allow myself to dream I
see milky arms around me but
I would never let you kiss me
like this.

Remember when we
were equally
messed up?

but you ran out of secrets
and mine weren’t
good enough.

You slept over on the Friday night
before…afraid of being alone you asked
me to stay whilst you showered
tears from your face. I promised
not too look but in silence I stood
closer than you thought – breathing
in plastic – your body a sheet
away.

If I do what I’m told I could be normal
but my wounds sing when I sleep polluting
snowy dreamfields with drips of
dog piss
and footprints
and old leaves

an image occurs
about giving birth to a telephone
the bloody cord wrapped around a screen
squeezing till it shatters

I wish I never saw you dead
helpless wrists outstretched
damson blood trickled down
like spilled ink over ancient paper

in these scenes you ask me to look
but I have to look the other way
and pretend to be staring at the sky
humming the rhythm of
stolen time:

now I see you,
now I don’t.

Discuss this piece in the abctales forum


Comments

maggyvaneijk | June 22, 2011 - 15:58

Thanks Richard, for one I'm very happy you're still around! Thanks as always x

insertponceyfre... | June 22, 2011 - 16:44

this is wonderful maggy - well done!

Highhat | June 22, 2011 - 16:58

Yes a very powerful poem Maggy- you are very capable of these poignant pieces.

;)Pia

fatboy74 | June 22, 2011 - 17:34

You do have some words at your disposal Maggy - love in particular 'but I have to look the other way
and pretend to be staring at the sky' which is wonderful. Really well done. :-)

maggyvaneijk | June 22, 2011 - 17:39

thank you!

luigi_pagano | June 22, 2011 - 18:16

An intriguing and powerful poem, maggy, written with your usual flair. Many good lines such as the following:
"but you ran out of secrets
and mine weren’t
good enough."
Well done.

Luigi x

gristo | June 22, 2011 - 20:08

Fantastic piece. Loved

'snowy dreamfields with drips of
dog piss
and footprints
and old leaves'

so much in this!

Overthetop1 | June 22, 2011 - 20:22

This sent shivers down my spine - in a very good way. I love `If I do what I'm told I could be normal but when I'm asleep my wounds sing...'.

celticman | June 22, 2011 - 20:25

wounds sing' Yeh, that caught me, made me stop and think. As always, a pleasure to read, even if its about death.

LTBurbery | June 22, 2011 - 21:04

The last stanza and last two lines are very powerful, though I don't fully understand them I think I get the general idea, humming the rhythm of stolen time being the time you had with that person?! I don't know, I don't always understand the poems in here, I just write simple stuff.

Nathan Bednarek | June 22, 2011 - 22:58

"damson blood trickled down
like spilled ink over ancient paper"

What a beautiful image. Just another stunning poem. I love how gentle you are in exploring this subject. Treating something so fragile with such skill takes great care. Seriously, you very quickly became one of my favourite writer's on this website. Your work's just a treat to read.

A well deserved cherry.

Nathan x

seashore | June 23, 2011 - 06:43

I echo Luigi's comment.......intriguing. Your standard never drops - no idea how you do it but it makes me wonder just how mch work goes into these gems of yours.

I read it twice and the second time it `clicked'. All of it.

I particularly love the stark beginning and the last two lines. A poem to remember.

maggyvaneijk | June 23, 2011 - 08:13

You got it right :) Don't worry if you don't fully understand it, my mum refuses to read my poetry because she doesn't get it, so thanks for taking the time to read! In the poem the speaker has lost someone close to them and struggles with his trauma and memories that are sometimes too painful to acknowledge. I attempted to make the imagery relate to being cut off and disconnected, emphasizing the loneliness of grief.

maggyvaneijk | June 23, 2011 - 08:13

thanks for your kind comments everyone

Silver Spun Sand | June 23, 2011 - 08:39

Sorry I got here late, maggy...and now it's all been said, except to offer my congratulations on the well deserved cherry. Another stunning piece;-)

Tina

barryj1 | June 23, 2011 - 13:44

I like the visceral rawness and the proselike imagery. This poem works at a dozen different levels, and I agree that it's not necessary (possibly even counter-productive) that the reader understand everything. That's part of your artistry and allure.

Cavalcaderl | June 23, 2011 - 15:16

new maggyvaneijk
Hello! Maggy,definitley well deserved cherry.
Clever young person I am reading.
An another astounding piece, I did get feeling
of sadness, and pain in the poem and sadness.
But yes, I am one of those, who don't always
can do that, see it in a different light.Like some
I feel they are true stories, ends are as they are so well done, comment and they are not true!Keeps the reader guessing?
So then I don't comment incase wrong.
Like the photo, strange you mention flickr
at the People's day, B/ton I met photographer
re-cardboard cut outs,and head goes through of Prince Regent and another face.
holes in, stand behind and photo 2 did. Then did one
with me as I questioned do you have to have two people, as two young chineses girl's had done. Then
get a slip of paper, to look up Flickr but one has join site! Which I am not on. 2 girl's took photo as asked. Reminded of The Pier where big cut out cardboards are.They were laughing,as I hadn't put my head right through, incase got stuck.Bu don't think can see photos, unless on site flickr of all.PS.
just found all your photo sight,really interesting,so
many have to keep looking. But through you an Flickr
he has found what looking for, all there Royal Pavilion people in carboard cu outs, to see. Thanks
a million. Had such a laugh over them all.
cavalcaderl julie x

the unfolding head | June 24, 2011 - 10:33

maggy... it's all been said above.

really enjoyed reading this, well done. :)

tcook | June 24, 2011 - 15:27

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alphabet floozy | June 25, 2011 - 18:28

Agreed, agreed, agreed. Very late to the party, but this is really powerful so I had to comment. Great.

oldpesky | June 25, 2011 - 22:04

Packed, as always, with gems, but my favourite was -

'Remember when we
were equally
messed up?

but you ran out of secrets
and mine weren’t
good enough. '

Struck a chord or two. Wonderful read.

sue dinum | June 26, 2011 - 13:21

I found this very moving, maggy, and you write with great emotion. I particularly liked this:

I wish I never saw you dead
helpless wrists outstretched
damson blood trickled down
like spilled ink over ancient paper

Wonderful imagery

Fab!

Sorry this is a bit belated, I don't always catch them first time.

Best wishes.

sue

MistakenMagic | June 26, 2011 - 18:16

"You slept over on the Friday night
before…afraid of being alone you asked
me to stay whilst you showered
tears from your face. I promised
not too look but in silence I stood
closer than you thought – breathing
in plastic – your body a sheet
away."

- this stanza is absolutely brilliant. Love the one that follows it too. This is so intriguing and wonderfully drawn. Very well done on the cherry!

Magic xxx

threeleafshamrock | June 29, 2011 - 02:01

Intense and rewarding to read, I loved it. Well done; the cherry was a given.

Chris ;)

shoe | July 5, 2011 - 16:40

A wonderful poem that connects emotionally, and that really is the essence of poetry, superb writing.

Mark Anthony Pearce | July 24, 2011 - 13:04

Many things I liked in this poem. The first line suggests to me EE Cummings 'Buffalo Bills/Defunct':

how do you like your blueeyed boy
Mister Death

I really liked:

an image occurs
about giving birth to a telephone

A handshake

MARK

http://iamamanandmynameismark.blogspot.com/
markanthonypearce@googlemail.com

maggyvaneijk | July 24, 2011 - 14:27

I'm glad you spotted the similarity to EE Cummings that's what inspired my beginning :)