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Half a Pair of Scissors
by V. Blakedon't smile at me like vice and virtue
are split-second decisions.
you load your dice the same way i do,
and there is no doubt in my vindictive little mind
that you'd just as soon plagiarize my suicide note
as i'd pawn my liver for the bottle of scotch
that necessitates it.
we are crows,
feasting on the wings of other birds.
this shouldn't come so easy, ya know.
our lies are three steps ahead of our cruelties;
malevolence buried in advance
by our peerless talent for dismissing it as error
in the hearts of folks that put more trust in us
than we could ever dream of deserving--
which is of course to say,
any trust at all. 02/10/2011 Posted on 02/10/2011
Copyright © 2024 V. Blake
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Charlie Morgan on 02/10/11 at 11:55 PM ...could be me and mebride[of 41yrs.] but i[vice]actually saw and learned some virtues...no brag, just fact...our years[otherwise]fits well in these lines which tell the between-the-lines saga 0' life in the married lane.good write,vince. |
| Posted by E. A. Pugh on 02/11/11 at 06:28 AM our lies are three steps ahead of our cruelties- wow. |
| Posted by George Hoerner on 02/11/11 at 01:31 PM I really like this Vince. |
| Posted by Ken Harnisch on 02/11/11 at 01:34 PM "you load your dice the same way I do.." Indeed, Vince, we do...which is how the longest, most human of relationships sustain themselves..on the vices we know and accept in each other and the virtues we tout to our acquaintances beyond our walled in gardens we call lives. Man, I loved that line! |
| Posted by Ava Blu on 02/11/11 at 03:28 PM holy hell. hooooly heeeell. $#%@ me i love this, Sir Blake. lovelove. i just watched the movie "running with scissors". |
| Posted by Steve Michaels on 02/11/11 at 11:47 PM "and there is no doubt in my vindictive little mind
that you'd just as soon plagiarize my suicide note
as i'd pawn my liver for the bottle of scotch
that necessitates it." Love that! |
| Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 02/13/11 at 09:28 PM Who could not venture a peak at this poem upon reading the title? Dysfunction has a function all its own, and as this piece reinforces, certainly adds color to an all too often bland world. The whole thing, but especially the first and second stanzas remind me of some of Leonard Cohen's work. Kudos! |
| Posted by Glenn Currier on 02/14/11 at 07:03 AM The first two lines of each stanza hit hard, but I especially like those in the first stanza. It is painful to behold the quickness and sureness of judgments folks make - not knowing a person. What dark and dingy place in the brain allows us to do that? Anyway... great piece of work, Vince. You never pull you punches and I always feel their impact. |
| Posted by Morgan D Hafele on 02/14/11 at 02:35 PM damn! awesome piece through and through. the ending really just tied it together, and made it even more relatable. |
| Posted by Julie Adams on 02/16/11 at 03:41 AM Wow, it has been a while since i was on here, but I'm glad to see you are still topping the top-rated charts on here...your writing gets stronger every time I read it, and this piece is so subversive and powerful, I'm agape, stalled with wonder...I hope u are doing as well as your amazing writing, peace to u always, jewels |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 02/18/11 at 08:59 PM A compelling beginning 2 lines. Loved the crows lines, and the "lies" lines as well. There's some heavy looking in the mirror here, shared. Thank you. |
| Posted by Anita Mac on 02/27/11 at 01:39 AM How fantastically sinister! I love the line "our lies are three steps ahead of our cruelties"... I'm quite jealous of it, actually. Excellent piece! |
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