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goldengate

by Steven Kenworthy

underestimatedmySky. now to,
tear apart your demons in mine
with muscle& faith ripping away.






damage them all the sins the saints
have put in heavy nights. days in pain.
put to rest put to bed the bad'reams
time to sleep
time to b'lieve . break
breakfree. breaktheirbones.backs,hearts,


love like violence; do it with caring,
with substance, in armor. strike
1st. divide,
knaves into
small ,
dark ,
pieces.
with gnashing. send them fast
chest plate.
eat ev'ry beast on the scene, fear nothing, not
a
thing,
with teeth.
glass jaws in the water.
pull at the roof&mandible&destroy the seams.


you can't stop me my scythe. i wrote this nightmare for you,
in the cold. in your worst field.

Dear LongLostLove,
if i don't kill ev'rything in the room, we'll have surprises as dinnerguests.
like the girl for the red sheets has a gargoyle'swings.
aviate away,send them fast. you
don't
give
up. fly your own saidjet :battletestedheart with the stamped torso.
reading fine print quotes on the wood'nsteel.
your engine is "only the strongest survive", villains can

soar and take everything. if you sleeponthem,
i will not hold my lions in,
unleash the wrath &crushing blows. sinkthru
invest the flesh in the body. slay these devils.

almighty,

the king of prides never falls. not to the original listener,
not to the heat or fires you breathed in factories&machines.

11/26/2007

Author's Note: Merry Christmas...a love letter

Posted on 11/26/2007
Copyright © 2024 Steven Kenworthy

Member Comments on this Poem
Posted by Lauren Singer on 11/26/07 at 04:35 PM

i loved that last little couplet, and the the authors note is biting.

Posted by David Garner on 11/26/07 at 05:19 PM

your use of blank space and crowded words with punctuation that truly punctuates is a revelation. love the words you've created: bad‘reams and the use of the ampersand is flawless. Love "i will not hold my lions in" congrats on a truly unique creation!

Posted by Alison McKenzie on 11/26/07 at 05:42 PM

The author's note totally sends this on a different mission. Excellent!

Posted by A. Paige White on 11/26/07 at 06:41 PM

Something in your writing really finds an echo that resonates between my ears. My absolute favorite line loveitloveitloveit
Dear LongLostLove,
if i don’t kill ev’rything in the room, we’ll have surprises as dinnerguests.
Definitely a favorite I will return to when I hunger to hear the lion roar.

Posted by Kathleen Wilson on 11/26/07 at 10:02 PM

I want to keep this poem. Definitely in my favorites, and more, wrap up in it. Why? Because especially the power of "love like violence". This is so aptly, clearly, passionately said, and what I think is the core of transformation. So vital so important!! There are so many brilliant finely tuned meldings, dueted words and concepts that it melts me thoroughly. Your fine punctuated, unpuncuated collisions... I love "if you sleeponthem". And you perform the "sinkthru invest the flesh in the body slay those devils". Fantastic.

Posted by Frankie Sanchez on 11/26/07 at 10:56 PM

"love like violence; do it with caring, with substance, in armor. strike" -- i'm at the point where i no longer know what to say about your work. it speaks for itself. i'm no critic, i'm a fan. you convey ideas so well without ever having to spell them out. with each you new piece you earn more and more of my admiration.

Posted by Elizabeth Seago on 11/27/07 at 12:27 AM

Aha! Finally! Some angry ladyslashing! This is such a different, bitter taste of S.K. - and it's absolutely delicious. That first stanza was powerful - and set the entire tone for me as a reader. Got me hooked immediately. I'm glad to see you trying out some new stuff, Steven. It's not unrecognizable, either. Still that Kenworthy eloquence. And abbreviations and such. Fantastico Piece! Thumbs up!

Posted by Christina Bruno on 11/27/07 at 01:35 AM

I think we should get married.

Posted by Tony Whitaker on 11/27/07 at 08:21 AM

When I read the Author's note I got scared. S.K., I think you need some serious psychological counseling, and watch those fava beans! Excellent piece!

Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 11/27/07 at 04:50 PM

Hmmm, the total release - the insides out, almost a spiritual cleansing here on one level. "eat every beast on the scene" - pretty much says it all - close to the feel of being in the same room with a berserker, yet kept in check enough to allow our eyes to read the love. (wild, man!)

Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 11/27/07 at 05:48 PM

Captivating style at work here carrying a strong message; Shakespearean in its own way; reminded me of "unleash the dogs of war." Well worth the read and worthy of further study...meditation.

Posted by Michelle Angelini on 11/27/07 at 05:57 PM

Fantastic! The images in here either feel like Fantasia or a dragon movie, or maybe both combined with a wonderful lack of editing. These images played through my mind alternating between uncertainty and reassurance. Punctuation, form, space,and imagery make this a unique declaration of love. WOW!
~Chelle~

Posted by Leslie Ann Eisenberg on 11/28/07 at 05:55 PM

i'm loopy today, but here's my best take - incredible, searing, harshlove, whoa. many fave lines, like muscle& faith ripping away....and the open space that follows is at once both shocking and inventive -- what are we when we are ripped bare? the emptiness here is so vast and frightening. who does not fear emptiness, the lack of drama? words to fill, to insulate from the true heart? and then you turn empty on its head and fulfill, with verbosity, squished words squashed with abbreviations to rush forth all that MUST be said NOWNOWRIGHTNOWpainoflife.... you can’t stop me my scythe. i wrote this nightmare for you, in the cold. in your worst field, surprises as dinnerguests....and really the entire Dear LongLostLove stanza,..and of particular note -- love like violence; do it with caring, with substance, in armor. strike...love and violence. disturbing. how would our world be if we love the way we kill? and, the passion of anger, so universal, and yet i don't quite get it yet. i have a taste of it on my tongue,,,i'll have to read this many more times. GOING IN FAVORITES! the film, your body of work, is fully developed, but the lesson has not become clear to me, yet. for anyone who's been in a darkroom, you know what it's like, to print. this is how it feels. that grand. i know your process having worked with you before, and i love the RAWNESS, and you do it in one take, like a brilliant actor in a monologue and you, yes, you, should have been born before this time, brilliant beat poet. HOWEVER, i have been to slams and you've got slam all through you. rap, read, invent, perform. do it, and for the fortunate to witness your way, what an honor that would be. enjoying the swim in your ever deepening pools, my friend...ooo's PK

Posted by Michelle Angelini on 11/28/07 at 06:42 PM

Congratulations on #1. ;-)

Posted by David Garner on 11/28/07 at 08:32 PM

Hey, you're #1. Congrats!

Posted by A. Paige White on 12/01/07 at 05:16 AM

And you are still worthily #1, Sir Kenworthy, Knight of the profound fable!

Posted by Elizabeth Jill on 12/04/07 at 03:50 PM

shikes! Pure incredible genius writing!

Posted by Angela Nuzzo on 01/28/08 at 06:16 AM

Great images & language. I especially like "fly your own saidjet :battletestedheart." And this image intrigues me "villains can soar and take everything. if you sleeponthem." Nice job, SK! :)

Posted by Christina Bruno on 04/10/08 at 03:06 AM

i love how the images are so fast paced - brillianttttt

Posted by Katie Dean on 11/09/08 at 06:53 PM

you portray violence and tenderness and beauty all beside one another, and they don't cancel each other out. they are all supporting actors to one another... and then you sprinkle in some Dali surrealism and fantasy and whala! epic.

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