Wednesday, 11 May 2011

Red Cherries

The last page in the red cherry book has been filled.
Fifty-six pages of the same words.
A whole nest of writing creeping off the edges
Not quite sure of its own cursive.
It should be different.
The way you start. Compared to the way you finish.
I should no longer be brandishing my little book and dangling my arms over the stairwell. But nothing has changed.
Words do not change circumstance
However hard you try to write yourself out.
The voice laughs
I forbid you to stop.
And so you don’t.
But you know you ended years ago.
Before the red cherry book.
Before the hundred other books hidden under the bed.
Butterflies and flowers.
Powder in pages.
Dust mixed with blood.
That’s all that is left.
A single dose of fire sent skittling down the evidence and you are gone.

Poof.
Well Done You.

The policeman stands behind me in the queue paying for a sandwich.
He keeps his hat on.
I pack my shopping.
A lady that manages.
Such a shame. You know. But she gets by.
A small step into the red cherries and my world would collapse. I would collapse.

How delicious that seems.
To fill the words.
To find my hand.
To finally be ok.
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24 comments:

  1. annell411 May 2011 at 06:53

    I came to look for you this morning. Scrolled the side bar down, you were not there, back to the top. There you were, waiting with the Red Cherries. A lovely piece of writing. Gertrude Stein did a book with all the same words. I used to have that book, don't know where it went. May I put this piece in my file? "Well Done You!" and it is delicious," to fill the words, to find my hand and finally be OK!" You writing tells me it has been a good week....I love these red cherries.

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  2. Jae Rose11 May 2011 at 06:58

    Thank you Annell..glad you found me today..I hope for those last little lines to be so..not sure it's happened this week..but there's always next week..Jae

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  3. glnroz11 May 2011 at 07:10

    your words are Waaayyyy Ok with me, i sometimes worry but your words are silk,,,

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  4. Unknown11 May 2011 at 07:12

    Yes. It does seem delicious. And it is. never forget that there are myriad versions, incarnations, of ok.

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  5. Jae Rose11 May 2011 at 07:13

    Thank you Glenn..cherries are silky..a whole new bowl of beans!

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  6. Jae Rose11 May 2011 at 07:16

    Thank you Kim...I wondered if it was the right word to end with..you're right it has a huge net of meaning..somehow it just about catches you..

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  7. Andy Sewina11 May 2011 at 08:27

    Yeah, red cherries does it for me and dust mixed with blood - belting image.

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  8. Ramesh Sood11 May 2011 at 08:32

    To finally be Ok ah, and continue to amaze everyone with your lovely writing.. Jae..I am awestruck with what you write.. fabulous..

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  9. Sheilagh Lee11 May 2011 at 08:40

    Sheilagh leesaid:what imagery red cherries dust mixed with blood. I am astounded by your great talent in poetry.beauty lies within.

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  10. VL Sheridan11 May 2011 at 08:44

    "It should be different.
    The way you start. Compared to the way you finish."
    "Words do not change circumstance
    However hard you try to write yourself out."
    Oh Jae, this is probably the finest piece you've written. There's so much resignation here, but I'm not feeling any bitterness or regret. There's a very strong feeling of acceptance that's just comforting. Well done indeed!

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  11. Jae Rose11 May 2011 at 10:25

    Thanks Andy..belting comment!

    Thank you Ramesh - we'll get there in the end! Thanks for always stopping by..

    Thanks Sheilagh - very kind..

    That means a lot from such a fine writer as yourself VL..thank you very much..I'm glad it's not full to the brim with bitter..

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  12. Susan11 May 2011 at 10:43

    Lovely piece of poetry.
    :0)

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  13. Anonymous11 May 2011 at 12:23

    Wonderful use of the three words.

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  14. Anonymous11 May 2011 at 12:44

    This IS a yummy piece. Wonderful work.

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  15. Old Egg11 May 2011 at 16:20

    Despite the hopefulness in this piece there is still that fear the words in the Red Cherry book will take control again. If you burn the book will she have to write them all over again?
    Are we finally seeing her vanquish her demons? Will these questions ever be answered?

    Thank you for your bi-weekly dose of anxiety.

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  16. Amanda12 May 2011 at 05:13

    A lady that manages.
    Such a shame. You know. But she gets by.

    You always say it so much better than I ever could.

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  17. Jae Rose12 May 2011 at 05:27

    Thank you James and Honey..

    Tsk..you always make me chuckle OldEgg..lovely turn of phrase..I can't guarantee no more anxiety..beer and tixylix only vanquish the tiniest amounts of demons..

    Thank you Amanda :)

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  18. Ann (bunnygirl)12 May 2011 at 06:30

    But you know you ended years ago.

    We are constantly ending and beginning again. Sometimes it's harder than other times.

    Nicely done, as always.

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  19. Jae Rose12 May 2011 at 06:54

    That's a wise and comforting thought..thanks bunnygirl..

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  20. Jeff13 May 2011 at 16:13

    Well, Jae, when you write something as stunning as this: "A whole nest of writing creeping off the edges / Not quite sure of its own cursive." what else is there to say? I know you're poems are often dark, obscure, and forbiding, but I always leave feeling like I've read something worth reading.

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  21. Jae Rose14 May 2011 at 03:25

    Thank you Nico - your comments are always much appreciated..I am glad you keep coming back..

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  22. Dee Martin15 May 2011 at 13:18

    comment finally? lol
    I kept thinking about the piles of 5x8 and 4x6 spirals that I have nesting on a shelf, full of notes and starts and ideas and words I want to to remember. The small one tucked into my purse and the plain one by the bed because you never know when you might need to jot something down for later. All colors - puppies, roses, and my favorite - butterflies. My kids know that if they need a quick gift for me they can always give me a notebook to fill...
    "A whole nest of writing creeping off the edges"

    Maybe how we finish is no different than how we start - but the process becomes change for someone else? Even if the notebooks were to disappear, poof! - the way someone felt when reading, the phrase that made them stop and think or dream...that is never gone. Not really. The words fly off the page and into a mind and flap their little wings to make the breeze that becomes part of a conversation later in the day that causes a change of mood in the listener who then goes on to do something different that the way they would have done it if not for the conversation that changed because of the words that were read....

    Ripples on the surface of the world :) You are one.

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  23. LeiffyV15 May 2011 at 16:17

    Red now, pink the week before... The colors and context have a meaning that only the subconscious can reveal, or so they say. Great work with this piece, a stunning little world in black and white with the subtle touches of crimson and dust.

    Another bang up job, Jae!

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  24. Jae Rose16 May 2011 at 06:28

    Thank you Dee - thank you for saying I am a 'ripple on the surface'..sometimes it..well, I, feel lost in the sea..just to read your comments..to see the lovely profile pic you have..gives such a wave of comfort..of belonging..thank you..

    Thank you Leiffy - How the world goes red after a bang..monochrome is steady..reliable..

    Jae

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