Despite All Requests for Rain
My life has reached its pinnacle,
it's all downhill from here.
Nothing left to do but wait,
and count remaining years.
I pile them up on the kitchen floor
and line them in a row,
ever watchful of the amount
and how long I have to go.
I can scatter them around the room
and lite them one by one.
They burn so brightly and so fierce,
they rival the desert sun.
When I have no more money left,
I take some in to town.
I trade them in for cigarettes
or for gin when I am down.
I’m not certain what to do with them,
‘cause I don’t want them to last,
and though the store will take them,
they prefer I pay with cash.
I find that I’m more tired now,
and I’m lacking the will to rhyme.
So I was wondering if you’d be so kind
to take up a bit of my time?
Barbie Dockstader Angell
© 2009-present
A seemingly light-hearted nosedive. The image of lighting up the years one by one is an especially powerful moment.
ReplyDeleteHi HKatz: "A seemingly light-hearted nosedive" is a beautiful summation! & I agree about the image of lighting up the years. Thanks for stopping by & commenting on Barbie's poem!
ReplyDeleteThe phrase,
ReplyDelete'I pile them up on the kitchen floor
and line them in a row,"
is particularly poignant - so self-examinatory.
This piece just oozes loneliness. It makes me wish I could help to ease that.
Kat
Hi Kat: That's perceptive. I like this poem a lot myself. Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeletehkatz, kat & john, this was one of those poems i wrote from Dorothy Parker's perspective. she was the "narrator" to my piece and i hope i did her voice justice. i tried to keep it contemporary, but with nods to her love of gin and such to really saturate her into the poem. i'm so honored you were able to glean so much from my words. thank you all. :)
ReplyDelete