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verlaine
by Indigo Tempestayou listening: you are an ear cocked
on a red neck. you are sucking in
through the whorls of your delicate cartilage.
i love you for that:
your strain is not for decibels. it is for
burning, for the lines of my sight and where they are.
your vein throbs, usurps my weaker rhythm.
how your cheeks blister, your artless russet
cusses the lazy air; i know you know me
watching you as i can while
you dissemble prettily,
imagining sound.
as i can read rimbaud and rub my neck saying
'its not dirty
ars gratia artist
it doesnt thrill me' -
i imagine pushing your outsides in.
i am blushing verlaine.
unsettled, pretty, i find i am full of dead things.
like little girls and vampiric embryos
and pornography you put there.
i do not disdain smut, but i do
solitary confinement. i met god but left him in prison:
i let myself go
harried by you to crumple;
a dried leaf underfoot of whores.
your ears fail translation of what you said
you think you might have thought you heard
but can so much less hear your wrist shatter
as bullets erupt from my priapic imaginings
to end this where it began
before you ever knew. 03/03/2005 Author's Note: feedbackfededbackfeedback
thanks to mike, for the attentive thought that gave rise to variation.
Posted on 03/04/2005
Copyright © 2025 Indigo Tempesta
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Michele Schottelkorb on 03/04/05 at 10:18 PM "like little girls and vampiric embryos
and pornography you put there.
i do not disdain smut, but i do
solitary confinement. i met god but left him in prison."... <~~ one of the best couple lines i have read... damn, i really enjoyed this piece... this one needs to be read aloud... and digested slowly like meat in a soda can... truly great work... blessings... |
| Posted by Scott Cadence on 03/05/05 at 10:42 PM "i met god but left him in prison: i let myself go"
This whole poem reads very fluid, I got chills in the middle of it. Amazing, and one of your many best. :)
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| Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 03/10/05 at 11:59 PM Not unlike some of the brilliant constructions of Canada's Irving Layton, this is a great read, pleasantly full of unexpected twists and turns. I especially liked this part: do not disdain smut, but i do solitary confinement. i met god but left him in prison, as well as the killer ending. Happily swept off my feet.
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| Posted by Max Bouillet on 05/11/05 at 09:25 PM Tremendous images that give voice to thoughts that echo through a woman's mind. The concept of meeting God and leaving him in prison.... brilliant and haunting and all of it waving through my soul. |
| Posted by Agnes Eva on 06/05/05 at 03:29 AM definitely a strong piece of writing. congrats on the spotlight! |
| Posted by Cole Bradburn on 06/28/05 at 10:40 PM a dirty indulgence, a vile masterpiece speaking to one's carnal nature. Incredible! |
| Posted by Howard F Farewell on 09/13/05 at 11:07 AM "i met god but left him in prison" umm awesome, and the whole ending 3 i ... there are no words except this = the awesome |
| Posted by Nicole Assenza on 12/03/05 at 03:30 AM I loved every word. If I could eat it, I would. |
| Posted by Angela Stevens on 07/09/11 at 09:32 PM The imagery here is stunning. |
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