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Dead Man Walking

Posted by Stefano on November 7, 2008 - 11:12
from the ABC set Poems

In that ugly American phrase,
I am a dead man walking.
I have neither laughed nor cried for a decade.
But I recall the rules.
Ask for something funny
And I’ll manufacture it
From memories and old joke books.
Ask or something sad and I give you
Other peoples’ tragedies.
None of this is my own.
Where now my flashes of merriment
That were wont to set the table on a roar?
Buried under the accumulated
Sediment of the years?
Doomed to fade through genetic defect?
Drowned in 5-hydroxytryptamine
From the Venlafaxine prescribed
To repair a faulty work unit?
Why don’t I get a grip on myself?
Laughing isn’t hard. Listen:
Ha ha ha ha ha.
See? I still remember the rules.

Discuss this piece in the abctales forum


Comments

FTSE100 | November 7, 2008 - 11:43

Sorry Stef, not buying it.

Stefano | November 7, 2008 - 11:44

Why not? It's on two-for-one offer this week. What have you got to lose?

FTSE100 | November 7, 2008 - 11:55

This isn't what your public want from you, amigo. Self-pity, even manufactured self-pity, is never appealing.

Stefano | November 7, 2008 - 12:04

Bum. I thought I was getting quite good at the gloomy stuff. Error of judgement you think?

FTSE100 | November 7, 2008 - 12:12

Leave it up for a bit to see whether anybody has a different opinion, but my advice would be to go it away.

What is 5-hydroxytryptamine anyway?

Stefano | November 7, 2008 - 12:13

Neurotransmitter. Metabolyte of tryptophan.

FTSE100 | November 7, 2008 - 12:15

What we everyday folk call seratonin?

Stefano | November 7, 2008 - 12:19

That's the bunny.

Ewan | November 7, 2008 - 12:26

Well you didn't need to buy it, it's free.

Any poem that manages to get 5-hydroxytryptamine in it is impressive. I bet Salim Meghani would love it, it's as beautiful an expression as a Polish Reverse.

jennifer | November 7, 2008 - 12:44

Combination of Science and Literature. Yep, definitely to be applauded.

Stefano | November 7, 2008 - 12:52

Polish Reverse eh? I love it when you talk dirty, Ewan.

See FTSE? Everybody else is on my side. jennifer thinks it both poignant and intellectual (I paraphrase a little and exaggerate a lot). I hereby withdraw my two-for-one offer.

serotonin has an 'o', btw.

jennifer | November 7, 2008 - 13:07

I did not actually say 'poignant' or 'intellectual' now did I?

Stefano | November 7, 2008 - 14:29

No, but I could sense you wanted to, and that's good enough for me!

artisus | November 7, 2008 - 15:52

It's well written and interesting. I agree with jennifer's first comment.

FTSE100 | November 7, 2008 - 16:54

And metabolite has an 'i'...

Nothing wrong with the writing Stef, just thought it a little misjudged.

Ewan | November 8, 2008 - 11:51

Polish Reverse, dirty? You are thinking of Greek Practices.

Stefano | November 8, 2008 - 12:32

Ewan - at my age I take whatever I can get!

Thank you for your comments, everybody. I'm still in two minds about whether the picture it paints is worth painting.

FTSE - I take your point about not overstepping the line of embarrassment and discomfort, but I think this is just about on the right side of it, so I'll leave it up for the time being. Maybe poetry should sometimes be uncomfortable?

Thanks also to jennifer and artisus for positive comments.

jennifer | November 9, 2008 - 00:41

Now all we need is somebody to write a poem about Mathematics...