Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Darkened Panes




It’s the scar tissue type
         of hope,
the kind that’s
drawn too far past—
 the frayed lines
of sympathetic appeal—
          
It’s the moistened blanket
twice applied to feverish brows—
molested by dampening tears
escaping their shadow’s cell

It’s the weathered apparel
hesitantly breathing
yet often lacking the design
of symmetry—
dividing the pangs of ulcers deep;
         below the crested veil, yet well above
         the coded resolve—

It’s these battles
waged in a cuneiform of turmoil
amongst the bridging gaps of confused allegiance—
where cultural dignity is pitted so squarely
against the necessities of economy

It’s the imposter behind the curtain
in the back room with the purposefully darkened
panes of glass


                  “Not the one where…”
“Yes, that’s the one…
         where good mothers and fathers alike,
         tell tales of exaggerated consequence
before applying the forehead’s midnight kiss goodnight”

It’s these stories
that can make one wonder what exactly was seen
to prompt such tales, that are remembered all too easily
was it an unnatural gleam—
or a bothersome tic—that
marred the desired fabric of their creations frequency
It’s the words of a storyteller, relaying:
warnings—
             as subtle overtures of persuasion,
                                    unintended to incite implication,  
yet performed, in such a way,
where a tad too little premonition,
is weighed upon, as to how
  potential seeds
already have been,
inadvertently delivered somehow—
never considering the fragility of
         a child’s mind, where fractured
and faulty filters have yet been taught

It’s these moments
of self-revelation
that act as epiphanies—
          as warnings
of what could be,
if we,
choose not to act
accordingly

It’s these memories
         that we remember all too well,
as we sit
patiently behind
our darkened
         panes of glass

For Open Link Night over at D'Verse.  Be sure to head on over there, the Bar's open and the poetry is flowing fierce.  Sit back, grab a glass and enjoy.  If you've a poem of your own you'd like to share, simply step up to the mike and join in on the weekly fun.

17 comments:

  1. Really a fabulous write Fred! And I loved hearing it read--your work in general works well that way I think--Nice!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is so true of how some parents do scare their kids with tales of dire consequences 'if' this or 'if' that isn't...
    Deep thinking here Fred, very vivid imagery too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Not sure where they come from, but passed down they are and they continue such a feat grinding at our existence and such with each passing day, some grand, most not so grnad, but they are told one way or another, for whatever reason, such stories will always be there I suppose.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Excellent poem and it's always wonderful to hear you read. I was reading today that hope isn't an emotion (warm feeling of optimism and possibility) though emotion plays a supporting role. It's actually a cognitive process made up of goals, pathways and agency. We set realistic goals, figure out how to achieve them, and believe in ourselves. I also wrote about vulnerability but from another angle :).

    ReplyDelete
  5. mmm...too afraid to act because of what we have been warned will happen if we do..programmed just to follow all the other lambs to the slaughter...

    ReplyDelete
  6. "It’s the imposter behind the curtain
    in the back room with the purposefully darkened
    panes of glass"--Is this the story itself? That puts the unnatural shutters on vision and self hood?

    ReplyDelete
  7. The format echoes the frame of mind of the narrator, and is an apt device as a medium for the thematic experience.

    ReplyDelete
  8. never considering the fragility of
    a child’s mind, where fractured
    and faulty filters have yet been taught... really spoke to me in more than one way..not going into details..but i think that's really well woven and you touch different things here fred

    ReplyDelete
  9. Darkened panes of glass. I think my glass didn't use to be dark and i know it from recalling (still being able to recall) how it is supposed to be. Interesting how sometimes as one grows older, one seems more unsure of where one is going at times. Interesting thoughts from this one.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Scary to think how one can go wrong as a parent. Makes you think what war does to a child's psyche. Fear for life whether repressed or not. And the way you presented this matches the content beautifully. Still can't get the sound to work. Didn't you use soundcloud at one time? That worked for me.

    ReplyDelete
  11. never considering the fragility of
    a child’s mind, where fractured
    and faulty filters have yet been taught

    Yes, sometimes we are so engrossed in relaying our thinking but oblivious to the effects on a child's mind. The danger is that once told to a child it sticks for a long while. It may be unsettling for him. Great write Fred!

    Hank

    ReplyDelete
  12. One does become a product of all this difficult-to-trace moments and warnings, etc. Your poem goes through the layers. k.

    ReplyDelete
  13. epic piece - you really have a great style

    ReplyDelete
  14. You create a most excellent shape here fred; the lines and the ideas therein and the reading hammers home the dislocation of space and thought... the seperation of it all is superb and delivered with the skill of a poet
    knowing the sense of their own work heightens my reaction... V. absorbing and captivatingly executed...

    nice work bro

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oooweee, nothing really to say, spinning in words and trying to clean stained glass....
    Really nice.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm still very much enjoying your work, and there is a definite tone of voice in your pieces that is uniquely yours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. The comment really means a lot to me. I'm really glad you're enjoying my writing. I really appreciate it. Thanks

      Delete