Wednesday, August 23, 2006

A Thirsty Grave

His head can’t fit
through the neck of the bottle,
nor his hands…
nor his feet...
but drowns in swallows
from the upturned tide of liter seas.
Demons pluck light from his eyes,
strip by strip,
flicker by flicker,
like vultures on an asphalt feast.
Dark omens of bone-wall wells
overflow the drink of a thirsty grave.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW.

No more Kool-Aid for you, Mister.

jel said...

as for the first part, haven't you seen the pop commercial where the kids shucks himself into the bottle! :)

DEEP very, but there is a way not to have a thirty grave!

take care!

Margie said...

Great poem Pat!
You do it so well!

Russell Ragsdale said...

Wow Pat! Dark and deep and swallow by swallow ominous. We both seem to be flirting we themes from the dark side for the moment. Outstanding images and momentum to this poem!

Unknown said...

I loved the way this poem opened. The man drowns, despite the impossibility of it.

Masago said...

Yowsers...you should be charging us for this one! :-)

floots said...

dark stuff
but oh so effective
good one
cheers

MB said...

Oh, Pat. This is dark, devastating.

Pris said...

dark and good, Pat.

J. Andrew Lockhart said...

this one is so powerful!

Unique Designs from Zazzle said...

whoa!

dumbdodi said...

You write so well on both extremes...comedy and dark...a good one

Anonymous said...

no words work to make a comment. it is like they have all been used up. bone wall wells. nice.

sage said...

the extremes--good poem

polona said...

don't know what to say that hasn't been said, so... WOW!!

Pat Paulk said...

You can't take my kool-aid away!! Just beause you're a cat with a long tail!! Thanks for the WOW!!

Jel, I had forgotten that. The poem is not a personal confession (hic). It's about a man we had to fire earlier this week. Early 30's, and as bad an alcoholic as I've ever seen. Real pity.

Thank you Margie!!

Russell, I don't normally plan my poems. I come up with a start and they develope on their own. This one I did per the explanation to Jel. WOW's are good!!

They do Christine. They really do. Thank you!!

Vaughn all donations are accepted and greatly appreciated!! Thanks for the great compliment!!

It is a dark hole some folks choose to live in. Thanks Floots!!

Mary Beth, yes it is! I can't imagine living my life like that. But, there are some that probably have good reason to.

Thanks Pris!! Sounds like chocolate!!

Thanks Andrew!! You've been wading around in some deep water yourself here lately.

Thank you Shane!!

Thank you Dumbdodi!! that means alot!!

Mikaelah, I liked those words together too!! Thank you!!

Thanks Sage!!

Ah, Polona, you know you always get me with a WOW! Thank you!!

jel said...

that is sad! sorry to hear that!

Sue hardy-Dawson said...

Wonderfully dark, it leaves me with a hollow feeling

eric l houck jr said...

very well captured.

Anonymous said...

interesting...different side of your writing.