Saturday, 31 January 2015

Castle

The castle does not keep me safe
Bakewell tarts and bandages
Piled high up on a plate
Ticking clouds
The hands of time
All racing in our head

Get out get 
Whoever you are

Am I the parasite or host

I thought this was meant to be funny she says
I roll over in the red bed
Eat some crumbs
It’s all funny Alice
Funny as fuck 

You’re my little angel without wings

Well, I am bored of you
And there is certainly no need to be quite so uncivil 
You spend all your day wishing me away
Then stick me down in words
Dangle me like a paper ladder
As if I can rescue you

I am only almost eight you know
I can never measure up
To what you need
To what you want
To what you know

I try to smile a thank you 
As I have tried a hundred times before
But the powder
Spreads my mouth 
More like a grimace than love

I will keep you
Though I cannot keep you safe

These pages are too small
For my confusions
And your contusions
She giggles

Let’s redeem the numbers
There is no problem that cannot be solved
Hatter taught me that
He is the patron saint of riddles

What is your riddle

I wake up to fall asleep

She considers
Looks at the state of things

The bed
My head
The castle keep

Perhaps there is no redemption after all

It is hard to add humility to that truth 

I feel dreadfully puzzled Alice
I know
She says
And licks the cherry off the tart
As I fall fast asleep.
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53 comments:

  1. Magical Mystical Teacher31 January 2015 at 04:08

    The Hatter as the patron saint of riddles: I'll be pondering that image for quite a while! (If I trusted his answers, or his riddles, what or where would it get me?)

    Thanks for your faithful participation in Sunday Scribblings 2. (And I'm glad Alice always comes along too!)

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    1. Jae Rose31 January 2015 at 04:46

      Thank you for always hosting us Magical...you know what I'd stay clear of Alice and Hatter if I had the choice...it may not be as exciting but maybe tea with j would be less taxing on the brain but you are welcome at both tables and please do bring those woollen ponchos it's cold here... :)

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  2. Keith's Ramblings31 January 2015 at 07:21

    I'm thinking that the Riddler might have something to say about that if he's not taunting Batman right now! A thoroughly entertaining piece as ever.

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    1. Jae Rose31 January 2015 at 08:44

      Yes indeed....riddle me this! Thank you Keih..glad to entertain you

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  3. Abbey Michael Boyle Blount Fallin31 January 2015 at 11:32

    playful verse, which sends us to a place we have no choice but laugh, and feel the fears.

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    1. Jae Rose1 February 2015 at 01:20

      Sometimes laughter is the best potion bottle to reach for - thank you Abigail

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  4. Old Egg31 January 2015 at 13:21

    What I like about your writing it is both funny and sad. Much like an analogy which will amuses us but tells a painful truth. Alice is both a nuisance and a companion and even I have two minds whether she should still board with you and eat all the best cakes and put her sticky fingers everywhere..

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    1. Jae Rose1 February 2015 at 01:22

      Thank you Old Egg...I guess you need a sense of humour to live like this...as for Alice...i have an array of cleaning unguents to hand..so i think i'll keep her for a while yet

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  5. Ann (bunnygirl)31 January 2015 at 14:08

    Redemption is the greatest riddle of all because it's so elusive. It's a bit like a hologram. Look too closely and it fades away, but if you trust it to remain and just go about your business, you'll find it's always there.

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  6. Stacy M.S.31 January 2015 at 17:21

    i love this!

    sounds like a twisted take on a fairy tale.

    wonderful work. :)

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    1. Jae Rose1 February 2015 at 01:22

      Thank you Stacy - we can certainly do twisted! ;)

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  7. vivinfrance31 January 2015 at 23:55

    This is very Wonderlandish surreal. Well wordled.

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  8. Susan1 February 2015 at 04:45

    Staying awake to the jumble of images and dialogues in the head is something I am occasionally familiar with, and this captures it--Though your inner presence is more hekpful than most. She eats the cherry off the tart.

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    1. Jae Rose1 February 2015 at 04:57

      Helpful and slightly cheeky! Thank you Susan - those nights are not good are they..cakes help to a degree..but nothing beats silence and peaceful sleeping

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  9. brudberg1 February 2015 at 05:46

    Somehow I feel that a grown up Alice would be a little bit different than the one in the fairy tale.. well used on the wordle.

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    1. Jae Rose1 February 2015 at 05:48

      Thank you a Bjorn - hopefully she will turn out better than me!

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  10. Brian Miller1 February 2015 at 06:13

    i def think humility is a riddle that many struggle to decypher...ha
    i think tea with hatter may start fun, but after while i would be just as
    befuzzled...

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    1. Jae Rose2 February 2015 at 05:29

      Befuddled we certainly are thank you kindly Brian

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  11. Mary1 February 2015 at 06:16

    I think we can all find castles inside of our mind....happy Sunday, Jae.

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    1. Jae Rose1 February 2015 at 06:18

      Absolutely Mary - they keep us safe and give us safety xo thank you

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  12. Grace1 February 2015 at 06:26

    A different Alice for sure ~ I heard two voices here, hoping both will look out safely for each other ~

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  13. Dee Martin1 February 2015 at 07:48

    I guess we all think we can be safe behind castle walls. The irony is that the enemy is usually from within and even closest companions can get tiresome when we are stuck for too long with nothing but our thoughts!

    My favorite part - "Well, I am bored of you
    And there is certainly no need to be quite so uncivil 
    You spend all your day wishing me away
    Then stick me down in words
    Dangle me like a paper ladder
    As if I can rescue you"

    I LOVE the paper ladder line. I wonder if we all try to rescue ourselves with our poetry.

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    1. Jae Rose2 February 2015 at 05:30

      Yes and yes to both questions Dee..tired and worn out :( but thank you as ever

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  14. Gillena Cox1 February 2015 at 07:49

    you know how much i luv your Aliceque pieces

    "Let’s redeem the numbers
    There is no problem that cannot be solved
    Hatter taught me that
    He is the patron saint of riddles"

    there is a dubious mode in your stanza Jae, should i let them realize my belief or taunt them with riddles

    Sunday smiles (◕‿◕｡) and much love...

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    1. Jae Rose2 February 2015 at 05:31

      Thank you very much Gillena - I think I can certainly be dubious!

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  15. Gabriella1 February 2015 at 09:19

    I like how you mixed confusion, questions, Alice and a very British setting.

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    1. Jae Rose2 February 2015 at 05:32

      Thank you very much Gabriella - I liked you saw it as British...we're a mad bunch!

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  16. Unknown1 February 2015 at 10:54

    I really like this one, J. Narrator and Alice are turning a corner. Change is in the air.

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  17. Brother Ollie1 February 2015 at 11:40

    What a narrative!

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  18. Peggy1 February 2015 at 14:18

    I like this conversational poem and am left wondering about the story behind it. Thank you for voting my blog as well.

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  19. kelvin s.m.1 February 2015 at 14:18

    Really intriguing, Jae... yet interestingly fun to read your series of Alice poems... i wonder if Alice is an alter ego of you? or a younger sister? smiles.

    - ksm

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    1. Jae Rose2 February 2015 at 05:34

      All of the above..maybe even my older self..thank you bystander

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  20. Anonymous1 February 2015 at 16:32

    I agree. It is difficult to add humility to almost anything. We build our castle of words, but they alone can never make us safe. They can be swept away by misunderstanding or only a breath of corrective red ink. Of course, there are those days when the ink becomes the frosting on the tart that Alice is licking. And we are all a riddle in the making...

    Elizabeth

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    1. Jae Rose2 February 2015 at 05:35

      Thank you kindly Elizabeth - you know all to well xo

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  21. C.C.1 February 2015 at 19:20

    I love your Alice posts and the way you write them reminds me so much of Alice spiralling down....your word choices, the images....all of it. It's so in character. And, the question you ask today....am I the parasite or the host? Well, that is the most perfect question for this Alice dilemma, now isn't it? Lovely, Jae Rose, absolutely lovely. All of it.

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  22. Misky2 February 2015 at 02:53

    An interesting use of narrative.

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  23. humbird2 February 2015 at 07:46

    ...but you are host, Jae! You decide 'What you want' and where....main thing - keep moving, with words, with no words, keep smiling and fighting...remember it's just one of the facets...it will change...hugs

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  24. Sherry Blue Sky2 February 2015 at 09:15

    "I wake up to fall asleep." Your poems are always profoundly expressive of the human condition, Jae Rose, and as Old Egg notes, both funny and sad. I adore your writing. You are wildly talented and Alice is lucky to get to come along for the ride. Her presence adds much to the dialogue..

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    1. Jae Rose2 February 2015 at 09:59

      Thank you sherry - what a lovely comment xo

      Delete
  25. gautami tripathy3 February 2015 at 05:55

    this is so eloquent...

    ​random words

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  26. Gen Giggles 3 February 2015 at 14:46

    The Alice story so needs to be published, I love it.

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  27. annell45 February 2015 at 07:55

    I like to think you fall asleep to sweet dreams...the adventures of 'Me and Alice."

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