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'Dusk' of Twenty-Nine

by Rula Shin


The rising decade roars incessantly
donning beneath dry veils festive
flappers draped upon wet swinging
whistles and eager hands fondling
the bounty of her abundant shares

Deceptive shades of bliss descend
like rains of pyrite confetti feeding
the jazz parade of gin-filled tubs
served stiff in dark smoky corners
cold like foolish youths consumed deep
within deathÂ’s ruthless throat in hordes

Speak easy not at wisdom's costly age
but purge the cloaked klan within before
the daunting peaks of wasted time approach
the shallow depths of vacant aims those
tender fleeting greens so poorly spent

True gold is not how willieÂ’s steamboat sails
nor does the scar of ravaged presence heal the
face of life when one his poison names as every
noble monkey trial is mock and bound to crash
each dying moment grieves her being passed

For when the blackest day does fall and
mounting counts mark plunging dreams
at last the silent little tramp may speak
with faith that every dying dusk we mourn
is but the rousing birth of wiser dawns

06/07/2005

Author's Note: My homage to the experiences and stages of my "Roaring 20's" - Farewell to the dusk of 29 which is but a greeting to the dawn of 30.

Posted on 06/08/2005
Copyright © 2024 Rula Shin

Member Comments on this Poem
Posted by Ashok Sharda on 06/08/05 at 03:11 PM

Reading ''Dusk' of Twenty-Nine' after having read 'and she ran….' generated hope and faith in the 'thirties, as you have welcomed in your authors note- 'good bye to the 'dusk' of 29, greeting to the dawn of 30'. Needless to say that there wouldn't be 30 if there weren't 20. But this only makes sense when one realizes the emptiness of the roaring twenties,'donning beneath dry veils festive flappers draped upon wet swinging' and resolve to work to turn this 'dusk' into a 'dawn'. The simile that you have drawn between the abundance of the pre-1929, referring to the contemporary undisciplined ways and ruthless approach to life, using cultural representative terms of the era-'beneath dry veils', flappers', 'wet swinging whistles', 'jazz parade' 'gin filled tubs and many more, with the roaring youth of the twenties and its ruthless ways and approach towards life-' foolish youths consumed deep within death's ruthless throat in hordes'. You have also drawn a simile by presenting a similarity of the fate of the crash of 1929 with the 'dusk' of 29 (ironically, and how beautiful this feels that you are 29 with this meaningful ILHAAM in the form of this realization and dawn). Yes, the alluring death always approaches us disguised as life and we in our roaring twenties fail to SEE through this disguise, spending-' tender fleeting greens so poorly' as the people spend their 'tenders' in 'bounty of abundant shares',(of course tender is money but also our youth is green and tender and fleeting ) leading to the crash of 29. The last stanza revives hope, as it should, after this ILHAAM of the 'dusk', evaluation of the causes of the crash of 29, of the 'daunting peaks of wasted time approach, of ' the shallow depths of vacant aims', of the disguise of the death, as this 'little tramp' within ( and this is so subtle) who was ever present in the twenties but shrouded, speechless hence absent in its presence, now asserts and speaks of this beautiful realization of the 'dawn' ( dusk)of twenty nine. Events are inter-connected Rula Shin, and the dusk is the beginning of the dawn. This is how I interpret the dusk in inverted comas- 'with faith that every dying dusk we mourn is but the rousing birth of wiser dawns'. Hats off to you. Life cannot be measured in terms of time on the scale we measure time. Life has to be measured in the time we live, merged with the time and not fractured, aware of living as against 'tender fleeting greens so poorly spent'. Yes, we need to spend this precious life meaningfully, filling it with our basic instinct manifesting in meaning. This is a brilliant piece.

Posted by Paul Marino on 06/09/05 at 05:35 PM

ah, wonderful final two lines. as for the first stanza, i was amazed at how it flowed and actually strengthened with the final word in each line, as if the poem was being catapulted. pleasure to read.

Posted by Philip F De Pinto on 06/10/05 at 01:01 PM

congratulations, Rula, on making that wide turn into next decade of your years and may that vehicle which is you never run out of gas and may it venture forth and never weary to look forward or back or in between. the silent tramp has spoken and in thus speaking saying, Rula, you have done immensely well with the words that you have driven home here.

Posted by Christina Bruno on 06/10/05 at 07:12 PM

Rula, this is awesome. the allusions to the time in history and to your life. i think this is a truly wonderful poem - great job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Traci Mabats on 06/12/05 at 05:25 PM

I think I am just going to stay at 29 when I get there, none of that 30 stuff. Nice tribute to your 20's Rula.

Posted by Charles E Minshall on 07/17/05 at 06:59 PM

Congratulations on poem of the day Rula....Charlie

Posted by JD Clay on 05/28/06 at 01:37 AM

Ah yes, the tears we shed and the masks we don, all those valuable lessons in this game called life. I get a sense of rebirth from this transitory piece, glad you pulled it off. pe4ce...

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