The Rat Ate the Cat, and We All Went Home

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Christopher

Moderator

Member Rara Avis

since 1999-08-02

Posts 8296
Purgatorial Incarceration

0 posted 2009-02-03 03:06 PM

The Rat Ate the Cat, and We All Went Home
by C.G. Ward

1.

tingle, touch.
not such a much, if you ask me.
but you didn’t,
so let’s leave that where it is --
   buried in the quiet of contemplation.

silence wears thin here,
braids time into loops of eternal irritation
where chaos fits warm.
and comfortable.
clean.

2.

there is a market down on 43rd that sells
potions and gimmicks and lust
as if saints once bled into bottles
for the amusement of soccer-mom shoppers
striding their bragging carriages
over bubble gum and bums alike.

nothing for love in this shop of liquid promises,
though you can find
     three ways to kill a man,
     two to make you rich,
     and one offering happiness.

     the latter wears a disclaimer reading:

          ‘satisfaction mostly guaranteed’

but there are no more sureties...
especially when the ‘conomy
turns belly up
and belches out 87 bil.
for wall street warmongers
while we do the mopping up.

so tell me --
why fight the fight
when you can wrong the Right?

3.

stood eyebrow deep
in the breakers of Eliot’s Waste Land,
counted grains of sand.

for each one plucked
from the cold of dawn,
I named it Lilac
and Lilac, and Lilac --
then placed it ‘pon Albert’s cairn.

for when the sun rained his dreams on me,
I listened only to the poetry of thunder.

WE SHALL CLIMB THE BEACHES
WE SHALL CLIMB THE BEACHES

and other fables too pertinent to mention.

4.

there is a young girl
whistling of/in/about innocence
as she walks down the pier.

her shoddy blue shoes step
-- tap-tapping --
    over rusty-grey boards
while I weep tiers of her tower
for a world that does not exist.

she is a goddess,
this little one,
and cares nothing for the
eyes of unseen watchers
or the bibles her father sells
door-to-door-to-door
while mom drinks up the prophets
from an empty cup.

across the boardwalk,
board
by walk
by board
by -- pink camisole atop the fraying threads
of a boy’s dungarees,
and she is resplendent
in the glory of blushing youth.

she clops and hops and titters and fritters
her tainted life away,
ever yearning for the sea.
          for the ocean is a tower,
          her one ring.

5.

Tolkien and Browning had one true thing to say:
          obsession rules even the greatest
          of we mortals,
and what we find at the end
of every road
is never as grand
as the faith of a hero’s hope.

SEA

Moderator

Member Seraphic

since 2000-01-18

Posts 22676
with you

1 posted 2009-02-03 04:12 PM

"she clops and hops and titters and fritters
her tainted life away,
ever yearning for the sea.
for the ocean is a tower,
her one ring."

hey! you wrote about me!

jk

way cool

Sunshine

Administrator

Member Empyrean

since 1999-06-25

Posts 63354
Listening to every heart

2 posted 2009-02-03 04:13 PM

Gads, I loved it ALL...It tripp'd me well, son.

Mostly, this struck hard, yet I don't know why:

quote:
2.

there is a market down on 43rd that sells
potions and gimmicks and lust
as if saints once bled into bottles
for the amusement of soccer-mom shoppers

And...it was so YOU.

I'm proud.

JamesMichael
Member Empyrean

since 1999-11-16

Posts 33336
Kapolei, Hawaii, USA

3 posted 2009-02-03 07:05 PM

A pleasure to read...James

Suncleaver
Member

since 2009-01-18

Posts 481
Stafford England

4 posted 2009-02-03 07:34 PM

I loved this poem.

Never sigh for a better world, it's already composed, played and told.

steavenr
Member Elite

since 2003-11-17

Posts 4058

5 posted 2009-02-03 09:52 PM

this has such an 'American Pie' feel to it...it is, after all, all good

"there is a market down on 43rd that sells
potions and gimmicks and lust
as if saints once bled into bottles
for the amusement of soccer-mom shoppers
striding their bragging carriages
over bubble gum and bums alike"

...this stanza is so intellectually creative...standing to applaud...long and lengthy applause

Duncan
Member Ascendant

since 2001-08-07

Posts 5455

6 posted 2009-02-03 10:34 PM

"Tolkien and Browning had one true thing to say:
          obsession rules even the greatest
          of we mortals,
and what we find at the end
of every road
is never as grand
as the faith of a hero’s hope."

You know how I love a great ending...

Just happened on here tonight and it was fortunate timing.  There are a lot of lines, phrasings in this...

"stood eyebrow deep
in the breakers of Eliot’s Waste Land,
counted grains of sand.

for each one plucked
from the cold of dawn,
I named it Lilac
and Lilac, and Lilac --
then placed it ‘pon Albert’s cairn.

for when the sun rained his dreams on me,
I listened only to the poetry of thunder.

WE SHALL CLIMB THE BEACHES
WE SHALL CLIMB THE BEACHES

and other fables too pertinent to mention."

that had me doing that nodding thing, with appreciation, admiration even.
Like listening to an inspired riff, but quieter.
Good to read ya, C...

Nan

Administrator

Member Seraphic

since 1999-05-20

Posts 21191
Cape Cod Massachusetts USA

7 posted 2009-02-03 11:11 PM

I'm not finding one line I like better than the rest to quote here, Christopher - You may have outdone yourself - Nice one!

suthern

Member Seraphic

since 1999-07-29

Posts 20723
Louisiana

8 posted 2009-02-06 11:00 AM

I found myself truly appreciative of all but one thing... the rarity of your posts. *S* How long is this one going to have to last us? *S*

However long it is, I'll wait. *S* I just never said I'd do so patiently. LOL

*applause*

Earth Angel
Member Empyrean

since 2002-08-27

Posts 40215
Realms of Light

9 posted 2009-02-06 11:07 AM

Hi, Chris! Long time no see or read!

Steave hit the nail on the head for me ~ and I quote ~

"this has such an 'American Pie' feel to it...it is, after all, all good"

Yes! Exactomondo!

Linda

Boshii2
Member

since 2009-02-01

Posts 146

10 posted 2009-02-06 05:00 PM

I am too humbled to comment. Boshii2

gilead
Senior Member

since 2008-03-10

Posts 1067
nevada, USA

11 posted 2009-02-06 05:07 PM

A great poem, Sir, well constructed, well written, both wise and entertaining---a laudable achievement!

art

Christopher

Moderator

Member Rara Avis

since 1999-08-02

Posts 8296
Purgatorial Incarceration

12 posted 2009-02-07 02:08 AM

Thank you all for your responses. Your appreciation makes me feel better -- I haven't been writing poetry at all lately, and was wondering if I still could.

D -- Very good to hear from you. Hope you're doing well. Drop me a line sometime and let me know what's the up?

Again, thank you to all for the comments and appreciation.

--C

Alison

Member Rara Avis

since 2008-01-27

Posts 9318
Lumpy oatmeal makes me crazy!

13 posted 2009-02-16 03:59 PM

I read this when you posted it, Christopher, and really liked it. It seems that I neglected to tell you - so here I am. And I like it today too.

Alison

Pilgrimage
Member Elite

since 2001-12-04

Posts 3945
Texas, USA

14 posted 2009-02-16 04:37 PM

Whooo. That's me letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding. The deeper I got in this one, the deeper it was. Fantastic writing.

Nan (Pilgrim variety)

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