A fire blusters beneath the treads
A pit of scorpions yearn to sting
A collaboration
of snakes in dream
Loud whiskers pierce the flesh
Swollen skin will follow soon
Thank God my shelves are stocked
Swing open the linen cabinet
and stare down old witch hazel
begging to take the flare away
Calibration off-kilter
weakened flexors
tourniquet
Fireflies
Outside the window closed
play a symphony
who would have thought
a tiny insect
fluttering through the night-time cold
could have
so masterfully
composed
The thoughts that a mind
amidst involuntary deprivation of sleep
can conjure…
awake, yet too tired to move
you sit there
wishing you brought the pen to bed
Wishing
as you see it taunting you from the desk across the room
that you could harness the psychic energy that abounds
and draw that inkblood to where you are
so when it happened
I could not believe
so there I tired
with improbable pen in hand
and I couldn't believe
all the thoughts disappeared
all the fireflies turned off their bright
and lids sealed the iris closed
and the kitten
it curled, into a little ball
right between back thigh and the underside of knee
It purred so loudly
but you, now, could not hear
Great poem, Fred. Fabulous flow and great word choice. I really, really like this.
ReplyDeleteYou got that right--that's the was it seems to work sometimes. This is a snappy, perceptive commentary. Nice pace and rhythms. I enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteI like the use of fireflies. They add a dreamlike quality -- a sort of borderline reality. Parallel to the thoughts or muse that often wink and in and out. Love the lines in this one, particularly the first strophe and this:
ReplyDeleteFireflies
Outside the window closed
play a symphony
who would have thought
a tiny insect
fluttering through the night-time cold
could have
so masterfully
composed
The thoughts that a mind
amidst involuntary deprivation of sleep
can conjure…"
Awesome read.
love the idea of fireflies composing a symphony...so many things in nature do i think but we need open ears to hear them...and was so sad when they turned their light off and sealed their lids...strong write fred..
ReplyDeletenice...i love fireflies....and could def see them doing a musical act or claudia is spot on about use with eyes and ears open to capture much of the magic....nice commentary fred
DeleteWow great verse, even a little purring and cat love in there too..haha...the cat really liked that and have to agree the idea of fireflies composing a symphony really stands out, as they float about.
ReplyDelete