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Heron Clan Sept 25, 2022 No Longer
No longer
I no longer want to be the newspaper in your birdcage
The plastic liner under your dishes
The coaster on the table
Allowing your life to over-write mine.
Can’t be the I’m-bored-curer
The I-got-nothing-to-do companion
Cruise director extraordinaire
For the dream voyage I'll never see.
Conflicted and possessive
Off loading and teasing
You suggest they all want me
Hoping they do and I go.
Meanwhile I tidy up the menagerie
Stack the pantry neatly
And wipe down the console proudly
Preparing for your departure.
Memory Birds
I gotta get so far past you the birds run out of breath.
I need to push you to the utmost of un-importances that the dust turns to dirt.
I toss filed forgotten newspaper clippings from stories told that are not here,
or there, or where
My heart resides today.
I toss them,
Yet, find them,
Hobbled in my chest when the trash goes to the curb.
What makes the memories stay,
What makes them, be,
Stuck on the wings of breathless pigeons masquerading as doves,
What makes, them, be
Free
In their flight through dusty olive groves of romantic storytellers.
What makes this teller of tales
Stay?
What makes this memory, stay,
When all others
Flitter away?
Go with him, memory bird.
Go with him, dust mites on papered tales.
Take your dirty newspaper shreds to build a musty nest and go so far past me
You run out of breath.
We deserve so much more than
We deserve so much more than the "menagerie", as you concluded with striking wordplay, in your wonderful poem of empowerment and self-worth. So many metaphorical delights spell "I'm finished!" until the very satisfying end when the speaker, with dramatic flair and wit, puts an end to the charade.
"Memory Birds" is packed with razor-sharp lines that certainly do not flit away on wings of mediocrity. As spoken-word poetry, this charming work plays hardball with the best of them.
Remarkable wordcrafting in both poems.
Victim Poems
My "editor", and subject for most of my poems believes this is a victim poem and thinks I can get beyond the blame frame. I do see the your fault finger pointing in this poem but I still like this one. He just might be too vested in the subject lol.
As long as one doesn't wallow
As long as one doesn't wallow too long in negativity, I believe these types of expressions can be cathartic for the writer and a relatable comfort to readers who feel alone in their angst.
Personally, I appreciate well-crafted word sculptures on a variety of themes—dark, light and everything in-between, and I don't believe a poet should be shackled by the personal preferences of editors.
The literary world abounds with masterpieces by writers who kept it raw and real and didn't hold back or worry about "experts" who preferred to see the world through an idealistic, heart-shaped, feel-good lens. Examples of "victim poems" that resonated with the world and helped open up dialogues about difficult subjects are Sylvia Plath's "Tulips" and Margaret Atwood's unparalleled description of toxic love: "You Fit Into Me".
I stand by my opinion that this poem and many others forged in the blazing crucible of your imagination are worthy of recognition and analysis. Keep pouring your wonderful authenticity and power onto the page.