Thursday, July 9, 2009

just below Washburn cemetery

a sizzling slate sidewalk speckled like a spaniel in heat
is an unlikely canvas onto which to paint the mottled past:

in an aerial spray of chemical geraniums and exuberant gems
we have promoted the chrysanthemums into a cascading explosion
of the luscious pinks and sultry mauves that once burned a history
on the grainy needled page like a red iron on a bare wooden plank.

that part is, unfortunately, a distraction from the pain.

do you remember crouching by the mossy brick retaining wall
and cherishing the smooth pebbles we found by the anemic creek?
later we spat on the pale and cracked shale of the hillside sidewalks
and made a personal mortar to write our names in shades of beige.

saying good-bye to an old friend for the last time,
a friend that stood beneath the wispy poplars
in a spring that never ended in your mind:

I still cannot pronounce his name.

11 comments:

  1. Oh Gerry, such a lovely tribute this is...

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  2. Mr. B,

    This is a very moving piece of writing. A nice piece of art indeed.

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  3. Gerry,
    Beautiful way to remember someone.
    -Alex

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  4. Very beautiful and descriptive, a very emotional and heartfelt serenade of friendship. Bravo, my friend.

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  5. very interesting. You lay out a history drenched in morter and forever only to show the fragile sliver of time in your last line.
    ~rick

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  6. Gerry,

    Very beautiful, moving and poignant. I especially like this:

    "of the luscious pinks and sultry mauves that once burned a history
    on the grainy needled page like an red iron on a bare wooden plank"

    Breathtaking!

    If your poetry was a wine sort, it would be a full-bodied, inscrutable, dry, stingning one that makes a lasting impression.

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  7. I'm angry with myself. Why should this one be my favorite? But it is.

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  8. WIAW: Just don't drive angry. Otherwise, glad I pissed you off. At least I'm getting through. Just to soften the edge, I can't read this out loud without tears.

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  9. Beautiful, intelligent poem Gerry. You have
    illustrated how relationships echo Nature.
    I adore your descriptions!

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  10. This is heart wretching, you. But beautifully so.

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Yes?