I have been staring for two hours
Like I will fall
If I move
It is absolute
If I move
I will fall
If I move
Alright girl, he asks
He smells of alcohol
Not breath
Deep inside
Fermenting
I say yes
I smell inside too
All this waiting and staring turns me to rust
we are
sitting
staring
a bench apart
not so far apart
no noise
constant noise
no place
safe
except the blue chairs
in the powder place
but i can’t sit there
and stare
and stare
I do wish somebody would call says Alice
I laugh because I know
We are unreachable
Unobtainable
Curious I say
That the foam around his lips nestles in my neck
That the blood goes through two pillow cases
Quite beautifully
Like petals
Falling
We sit and stare.
" I have been staring for two hours
ReplyDeleteLike I will fall
If I move "
......but the question is then, what would happen then if one does not move. Sometimes I think a person just needs to test the waters.
Waving to you across the ocean, Jae. Have a good one.
Waving hello back Mary..and wishing you a good day also..yes testing the waters is necessary..sometimes it takes a while for it to feel ok to do that though..I'm sure you see..
ReplyDeleteThank you my pen..
Nice poem, there is a mystery to the verses.
ReplyDeleteLove the end .. like petals faling .. wow .. there is something mysteriously dark here and yet I want to smile ..
ReplyDeleteIt is like this, sometimes, when the world is too much, when the coping is such a responsibility. That responsibility requires stasis. You've let the reader know how stillness is sometimes the safest way to "remain."
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the blue chair bit I wanted to say "Not so!" But you know... you know. As do I.
And those beautiful blooms on the pillowcase? The image is at once lovely and so sad.
This thin little piece carries a lot of weight, Jae.
I really like your work.
ReplyDelete"the blood goes through two pillow cases quite beautifully..."
wow - that changes everything.
Sometimes it is best to just sit and be still, as long as it is taking stock as we do it and, not as scared as a rabbit frozen and caught in headlights. Your imagery is flawless, I resisted the urge to go urghhh at the foam around his lips nestling in your neck...the blood seeping through the pillows is quite a powerful image too.
ReplyDeleteAnother 'wow' of a write Jae.
sometimes you have to sound out the situation before you move forward.This imagery is so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you Chris...
ReplyDeleteI am glad you want to smile Nimue.. :) back..
Thank you Kim..knowingly.. x
Thank you very much Christopher..
Thank you kindly daydreamer..urgh and eww always allowed here.. ;)
Thank you Sheilagh..strange coincidence as I was reading aloud last night..sounding out..
Sometimes doing nothing is the best move at the time...It's always best to ponder before doing or saying...as always, thought-provoking....
ReplyDeletePlaying the waiting game ... mysterious !!!
ReplyDeleteHey, babe. I'm getting the sad feeling of a young girl who knows
ReplyDeleteshe is about to be 'bothered' and all she can do is wait for the
evil who foams at the mouth with
lies, to complete and leave.
Sorry, J.
The waiting room of the lost. Two people sitting there not alike but sharing the alienation of life where every speck, every move, every sense is a sign, a message, a sensation that is grasped eagerly because it is not you. "Did you say something?" "No, that was Alice." Absolutely stunning Jae.
ReplyDeleteSo much waiting, like a boredom too heavy with angst to be easily dismissed or distracted.
ReplyDelete"I do wish somebody would call says Alice / I laugh because I know / We are unreachable / Unobtainable" To be unreachable--a precarious place, for sure. A lot of tension here, Jae; you put my soul on edge. Great work!
ReplyDelete'What is this world if, full of care,
ReplyDeleteWe have no time to stand and stare.'
Davies himself would have sympathetically associated himself with this testing and thoughtful poem. I find it brilliant!
It can be..thank you kindly Joanne..
ReplyDeleteThanks Green Speck..
Yes Shauna..thank you..sometimes it's easier just to tolerate the botherance..you see.. x
Thank you OldEgg..when I lose my voice Alice never fails to step up to the job..
Thank you Ann yes..too heavy to shake off at times..you really need something or someone to chase..
Thank you Nico..yes the old writing nerves are somewhat frayed and tense..Not to metion j's..
Thank you very much Altonian..that puts a new slant on staring..
I gotta wonder just whose blood goes through the pillows. Does she happen to have a knife on her?
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me most was a personal feeling. The concept of alcohol exuded through the pores. I grew up around that, and it took my breath away, because I know that scent and it still makes me sad. Great work, Jae, my dear. Amy
ReplyDeletehttp://sharplittlepencil.com/2012/09/20/justice-for-women-in-oppressed-regimes/
I think I might sit still too if I knew I'd fall. Although maybe the question to ponder is if there will be something there to catch me and if so what.
ReplyDeletepowerful piece...
This has, it seems to me, a dark side. A nicely presented dark side.
ReplyDeleteI've sat staring for hours before. Lost inside myself, needing an Alice to find me. The man makes my skin crawl, almost the inevitability that she can't escape. Stunning image of the blood on pillowcase I can see it so clearly. Keep moving forward Jae x
ReplyDeleteit sounds as if you are a sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteAlways..thank you Alice.. ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you Amy..when you know.. you know..
Maybe there is no safety net..just not moving..thank you RMP
Thank you kindly J Cosmo..
Thank you dandelion girl..even if we can't move forward..we know that in some ways we can never go back..
Maybe so Paige + Shauna..if only the gods were ready with some reward..thank you..
The problem with most people is: they never really look at a thing or a person and sometimes they look, but don't see what is before them. Great job on this piece!
ReplyDeleteThank you Belva..selective blindness ;)
ReplyDeleteDearest Jae
ReplyDeleteMasterfully done. And I agree, sometimes all we can do is to sit and stare.
Thank you Annell x
ReplyDelete