Cutting Dead Stems

Cherry

By the unfolding head

Sun, 04 Nov 2012
  • 875 reads
4 comments
 

Sunken ships of souls
more serious
than your bills

a detached woman
her body formed in space
that’s owned

bright make-up demands your spade
neon letters
sap the spirit
tongues crack like old paint
as claws inflict

gaudy fake nails trail pink lines
across the nipples
soft
and barely visible in the dim light

this is not an affair
you tell yourself
this isn’t anything
at all

pushing in cotton clouds
worthy of your stare
there is much time to kill
once you remember
where

you have never felt a place
where you and yourself
have not been

our time has finished
she says, grabbing tissues from the box
dabbing pelvic bones
her lip
slightly pouting

in the fresh air
you remember

we
are trapped rabbits
in our own cinemas
running up and down the aisles
as the same trailer
plays
over
and
again

THIS IS THE LIFE YOU COULD HAVE

Later, light from the hallway
creates a thin glare at the base
of the bedroom door
cutting dead stems

each minor movement enhanced
by the sour odour
of infidelity

Certificate U
Poem
Unclassified

Comments

Submitted by Sooz006 on
The more you read this, the better it gets. I like the way he writes it away and justifies it by saying it's nothing and that it's a distraction from the bills.. Beautiful poem.

 

Submitted by the unfolding head on
thanks Sooz006. I really appreciate you having a read and happy to hear you enjoyed it.

ddf

Submitted by thecure on
I disagree, I think it all totally makes sense and is very haunting and true and scary and beautiful all in one. The Protagonist is telling himself that " It's not affair" so he is trying to justify that it's not as bad as it actually is. I interpreted the " sunken ships of souls" as the stripclub or brothel where the protagonist is, he once was a sailor sailing the seas and now his life has sunk below the mass oceans. As for " you have never felt a place where you and yourself have not been" makes me think its a sexual reference as well as indicating the protagonist's detachment from himself and his acts. Thats just what I got from it, I could be wrong, but I think poetry is all about your own interpretation inbetween the lines. I loved it, it reminded me of " the Cure's ( the bands album Pornography) In particular Siamese twins, We writhed under a red light Voodoo smile Siamese twins "A girl at the window looks at me for an hour Then everything falls apart Broken inside me It falls apart" worth a look http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/cure/siamesetwins.html Well done well deserved cherries one of my favourites xxx

Submitted by the unfolding head on
hello 'thecure' Thanks for reading and commenting, your feedback is really flattering - I'm well chuffed, really, much appreciated. It's really great to hear your interpretations of the poem and it reaffirms my belief that there is almost as much joy in sharing as in creating the thing in the first place. You have many things spot on and some things so different to what I imagined. Interesting. I see what you're saying about 'siamese twins' - interesting lyrics, just had another listen.... nice comparison there. d

ddf