Wednesday, 9 July 2014

Guard

I wash 
The instruments of my work
In the sink
With the red
And the skin

Black magdalene afternoons

This is where he gets a little dusty
This is where I get a little eerie

In the first place I forgot 
In the second I tried to remember 

Trespass sings out in the middle of the night
You learn to run when the bombs stop falling

He could not have placed it any better
The powder falls like devils dust 
The clarity of 163

It's nothing
It's nothing
My eye pokes out the sky

I do not want to give you the stained cheque
Clean the mirror with my old sock
Make it shine
Clear as Jesus
Translucent in the water

Cold cut
Veins
Yellow painted on my head

My body may be tagged and buried
But I will never go between the white walls 
Not again

Hot
Cold
Travels up the brain

A little magic key
A little magic girl
Who writes herself in powders and in potions 

Tomorrow will be what it decides to be
We will keep guard of it
Ask for nothing more

 Keep the instruments of our work clean

 Black magdalene afternoons.

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49 comments:

  1. Mary9 July 2014 at 05:00

    Ah -- the magic key and the magic girl! (No surprise that Alice might have swallowed the key. Smiles.) And yes, tomorrow will be what it decides to be.....and as long as we remember that, there is hope!

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    1. Jae Rose9 July 2014 at 05:12

      Yes indeed...I am glad she is trouble...wouldn't life be dull if the keys were hanging neatly by the door..thank you kindly Mary..happy Wednesday to you :)

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  2. Susan9 July 2014 at 05:46

    Yikes! Amazing images! The "Black Magdalene afternoons" sent me to Google where I discovered haunting music in Oregon and was reminded of Joni Mitchell's song and the film "Philomena" about the The Magdalene Laundries. Add to that the 163 mosquito bombers and oh! Read in this light, death and destruction haunt the poem and the ones who didn't learn to run between the bombs, to run the alleyways and keyholes. Spoken by one who lived to talk about it, to guard the lanes and the history. My goodness, Jae Rose! Layer after layer open in this poem, depending on the key!

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    1. Jae Rose9 July 2014 at 11:39

      Thank you very much for taking such care in peeling back the layers Susan...it certainly seems to be word that unlocks many things...thank you for the key!

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  3. Unknown9 July 2014 at 06:10

    Hmm the one who holds the keys is the one to be watched. A powerful poem Jae Rose.

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    1. Jae Rose9 July 2014 at 11:40

      Yes I think you're right Moonie...having the key the other person wants always throws in a little power play..thankfully we have nifty fingers! Thank you kindly

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  4. Ann (bunnygirl)9 July 2014 at 06:34

    I agree we must avoid the white walls at all costs. They bleed out all of life's color and make us worse than before. Tomorrow will be what it decides to be, but we can decide the shape of today.

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    1. Jae Rose9 July 2014 at 11:41

      Yes ..don't want to pass that shape over to the white walls...they certainly block the path forward..thank you kindly Ann

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  5. Unknown9 July 2014 at 07:23

    Dear Rose what a beutiful poem... so fascinating in the image it creates!!

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  6. Swathi Shenoy9 July 2014 at 07:31

    magic key, magic girl, portions and powder! It couldn't get any better :D but as you said, if there wasn't any hassle, life would be a little boring!

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    1. Jae Rose9 July 2014 at 11:43

      Thank you Swathi..a little pause of boring is good to recuperate and get up and fighting again :)

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  7. rallentanda9 July 2014 at 08:17

    Black Magdalene afternoons....better than between the white walls. Anything is better than that...never to be revisited.It scared me shitless and it wasn't even me...it was you!

    Ask for nothing more than tomorrow...and maybe a blue sky and a juicy orange. If this gives you a charge then you win. Woohoo! and if so, some people will want to destroy you because of it...yes, keep guard LOL!

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    1. Jae Rose9 July 2014 at 11:46

      Scared me shitless too Rallentanda...not that you can say it or show it...difference and spirit being something to be cured and all! Fuck being normal..how very dull..we will spin orange in the blue skies...thank you for joining us there..

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  8. Brian Miller9 July 2014 at 08:36

    you link some really cool images that would otherwise seem distant...and they play so well together...magical write throughout...the stanza toward the end on tomorrow...and us guarding it...def a fav....

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    1. Jae Rose9 July 2014 at 11:47

      Thank you very much Brian...I think distance can become a friend - like an internal district 9 - if you settle in and get comfy there..

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  9. Sherry Blue Sky9 July 2014 at 08:41

    I love the image of the little magic girl and the intriguing idea of black magdalene afternoons.

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    1. Jae Rose9 July 2014 at 11:49

      Thank you kindly Sherry...I like her too...though maybe we would like a sunny morning better :)

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  10. Scarlet9 July 2014 at 09:24

    I like the contrast of forgetting and remembering, and hot versus cold, & magical write in powders & potions ~ Enjoyed this one ~

    Grace

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    1. Jae Rose9 July 2014 at 11:50

      Thank you very much Grace - pleased you enjoyed

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  11. Unknown9 July 2014 at 09:40

    Lots of vivid imagery here, J. Some of it is very scary! Glad that tomorrow always holds the potential for good stuff!

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    1. Jae Rose9 July 2014 at 11:51

      A bit scary thank you Kim...looking forward to tomorrow..thank you...wishing you a good tomorrow too

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  12. Arathi Harihar9 July 2014 at 09:47

    loved the wisdom behind your lines..very nice Jae rose...

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  13. Sheilagh Lee9 July 2014 at 09:58

    Tomorrow will be what it decides to be
    We will keep guard of it
    Ask for nothing more 'except remembering there is hope for a bright future a happy future'

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    1. Jae Rose9 July 2014 at 11:53

      I think that is a very good thing to wish for thank you very much Sheilagh :)

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  14. Alice Audrey9 July 2014 at 14:40

    So much sharp, clear, and breath-stealing imagery from powders to potions to the instruments of your work. You've got a strong undertow to your poetry.

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    1. Jae Rose10 July 2014 at 01:32

      Thank you very much Alice...if only it could be applied to the real world!

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  15. Old Egg9 July 2014 at 15:54

    You never fail to amaze and impress your readers with such cutting imagery. There are many touching, telling lines in your poetry just too many to read between. You are a magic girl!

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    1. Jae Rose10 July 2014 at 01:33

      Thank you kindly Old Egg - feel like the old lady I am mind ;)

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  16. Gen Giggles 9 July 2014 at 19:10

    I liked it. Such imagery holding me waiting until the end.

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  17. Sumana Roy9 July 2014 at 20:19

    the world is still covered with 'devils dust' and the key is lost....what tomorrow is there?.. haunting lines...

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    1. Jae Rose10 July 2014 at 01:34

      It is in parts - thank you very much Sumana

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  18. kalpana solsi9 July 2014 at 21:34

    Forgetting and remembering what you forget is tiring and frustrating. Wish humans could never forget.

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    1. Jae Rose10 July 2014 at 01:35

      Maybe forgetting the bad things is for the best though! Thanks kindly Kalpana

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  19. avalon9 July 2014 at 23:52

    Everybody is talking about your photos, but I can't see a thing.
    Is it me? Or were they fugitive :-)

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    1. Jae Rose10 July 2014 at 01:36

      Photos? But yes..they will always be fugitives..thanks kindly jo-hanna

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  20. humbird10 July 2014 at 07:18

    I just wish no guard in need for tomorrow, because everyone has unique key, ...dream! ~ inspiring poem, thanks!

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    1. Jae Rose10 July 2014 at 07:20

      Thank you too humbird...I think tomorrow is there for all of us..if we want it...

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  21. J.N.T.10 July 2014 at 11:32

    this was a fun, adventurous read. Not just a simple cleaning but a lot going on in the lines. :)

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    1. Jae Rose10 July 2014 at 13:49

      Thank you James fun and adventure is good!

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  22. J Cosmo Newbery10 July 2014 at 23:16

    Tomorrow will be what it decides to be. But also what we decide it will be, to some extent, thankfully. A wonderfully complex write, as always.

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    1. Jae Rose10 July 2014 at 23:19

      Yes I guess it is a mix of both - thank you kindly J Cosmo..

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  23. annell412 July 2014 at 07:08

    Wow! Jae, what an impressive piece! But I wonder how much control tomorrow has, or it just like us, playing out the script already written….really loved it…even if some of it was a bit scary….

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    1. Jae Rose12 July 2014 at 07:19

      Thank you very much Annell..I kind of think it is already written too... Xo

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  24. kaykuala12 July 2014 at 11:30

    My body may be tagged and buried
    But I will never go between the white walls
    Not again

    Experience certainly is a good teacher. Nicely Jae!

    Hank

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    1. Jae Rose12 July 2014 at 11:39

      Tough lessons but a good teacher! Thank you kindly Hank

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  25. Tina Basu13 July 2014 at 22:39

    Very nice Jae Rose... Love the words of wisdom
    Tina from The Sunny Side of Life

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