in the pavlova recipe
Sorry, I have to take this,
the pavlova says. The microwave
is ringing and they speak together in whispers.
travel blogging
Down by the seas of roads and rails—tarmacs lined
with dashes on the runways to the shallows—
the metropolitan trains approach a nexus
where all begins and ends.
Once my life was stippled on those waters
and broken on those shores.
accommodations
Simple has always been complex,
the hotel minimalist works at every detail,
opposing nature where no edge
is ruled and no tone is pure.
In lonely rooms I’ve seen
ten thousand corners
where processions in my likeness
have left their traces,
traced their own existences.
The hotel staircase flows with carpet
corridored with concrete people,
wired eyes and filamentary
interlocutions;
they sing their times, sell their dreams
and know a little arrogance is needed.
You might call it confident belief, I did too,
but it never wanted me.
pretence
My mentors’ terraformed logic
was always redacted truth. They never spoke of
the dreaming moons,
yet in the hotel mirrors, I saw
a hollowed stranger.
I pretended, carried a sheaf of two
dimensional thoughts
around the obelisks,
monolithic not immutable.
addendum
Minerva’s in a velvet curtain at reception,
with bells and her Euclidean geometry.
I ask for a map to the Elysian
tourist park, where corporate tigers and
incorporeal butterflies
growl and flutter, respectively.
If life’s a dream then dreaming’s life,
she tells me, and your imagination’s
always been a little lurid,
never lucid.
I notice I’m in my shortie
pajamas, the ones with stars and comets.
I really should have worn
an Italian suit and tie to bed.
disclaimer
I can sip Pinot and watch the rainbow lorikeets in the Camellia thanks to concrete, rail, and powerful focused thinkers. Also the birdbath.
artwork
flightless bird; I followed the shelving assembly instructions as closely as possible.
Are these individual poems or portions of a long poem?
Daniel, good question. In my mind (which doesn’t mean much 🙂 ) they are connected to each other (a life thread) but have a degree of independence. The weakest connection perhaps the first, but I just couldn’t resist. Hopefully ideas from my own self awareness continue through, Steve.
A different approach never hurt. Imaginatively fecund as ever Steve.
Thanks Daniel.
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Fantasy Sources, thanks for reblogging.
Steve, you always have such great beginnings!
And middles.
And ends.
And art.
I think you’re brilliant 🙂
Excellent, Vanessa. Now all I have to do is find an embarrassingly wealthy person who thinks like you to sponsor me. Plan B is poetry readings and art giveaways to unsuspecting relatives, and Plan C is spray can, late night graffiti plus talking to myself on public transport 😛 .
I so wish I could help with Plan A. Sorry.
Plan B and C sound like fun and plausible alternatives. And who knows, while talking to yourself on transport, you may just find that sponsor. Stranger things have happened…
I tried to connect them all in my own lame way. I anyway enjoyed reading all thoroughly, Steve. Beautiful words. 🙂
Thanks Ananya. Nothing at all lame about you and your writing, the exact opposite 🙂 . What connections you make are absolutely fine, and I may have mentioned something about more lurid than lucid, not that I plan on doing anything about it 😉 .
Love this, Steve. For some reason, it reminded me of the style of Bob Dylan’s To Be Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again. I can hear the music that is part of your poetry…
Thank you Poet. I just had a listen, haven’t heard it for quite a while and I noticed there are thematic links, amazed and flattered you made the connection. Also the music, I was pleased with the flows of this piece as I read it aloud, so thanks again 😎 .
Very welcome!
Shortie pajamas. That really takes me back. It’s the wee hours of the night at the moment. Perfect time for reading your poetry.
Interesting, not sure what it means. I write in the mornings usually, the odd glass of wine comes into play at night. 😉
There’s a smidgeon of truth to the pj’s: It’s been 44C = 110F here and not much cooler at night, so I sleep in shorts (modesty forbids going any further). Because I’m a lazy writer, I try to remember and use my dreams, and I realized I was wearing shorts in them as well. In the future, I’m hoping I can figure out how to write in my sleep, then I’ll have more time for other stuff when I’m awake. 🙂
Re writing in your sleep, let me know if you figure it out! Yeah, you’re on the opposite side of the world from us Yanks, huh. Gets pretty warm in central Florida, too. Right now at 60 f. it’s pretty nice. That’s about as wintry as it gets here anymore. Stay cool.
Steve, first of all Bravo! I love being invited to slip into your mind full on words and images. My own mind is activated by surroundings mostly by the ocean or forest. Sadly I am near neither, instead in the confines of concrete walls and asphalt roads covered with snow and ice. Its hard to even smell the air. Thank you for throwing a line of hope.
p.s.
your comments are often just as enjoyable as your poems 🙂
You’re very welcome 🙂 . Your art and writing are highly creative and moving. People say there is something inside that wants to come out, but I think there is more to it than that: the life memories that make us who we are. I’ve rarely seen snow and ice, I’m a city person who’s lived in tropical climates, and your words
certainly resonate with me.
With the comments, I used to only send my work to publishers, and when it appeared, I had no feedback at all, didn’t know whether anybody even read it, so I appreciate it when someone takes the trouble to write something. You know, unless they’re selling knock-off Rolexes. 😀
I am happy to hear you say that and I too appreciate your comments. If we give the publishers all the power then they become stronger but the good works don’t get to the public where it is always meant to be. I love reading the creations poets especially those who blog. The internet has gifted us a freedom. Perhaps more important is the gift to communicate with the authors. 🙂
As always, you draw me in and then make me laugh. (I think I like lurid, rather than lucid imaginations anyway…)
Thanks Candy. Might be a question of degree, but I think the current levels are going to continue. Thing is, if I want to be lucid I have other outlets (apart from ordering at McD’s). I’ve written many more scientific articles than I have prose and poetry pieces, so if I have an uncharacteristic urge to make sense I can always do that 🙂 .
Steve, I just love your work. You need to publish it (if you haven’t already). I hope you take this as a compliment because I mean it to be very complimentary, but every time I read your poetry I think, “Wow…this is as good as T.S. Eliot. This is so good!” Thanks for sharing your art and poetry with us.
Thanks so much for your kind words, Merehuman Duane 🙂 . I’m looking at Eliot’s Complete Poems & Plays and Later Poems on a nearby bookshelf and I’m very flattered. Hearing it from a creator of your stature, even more so. I appreciate your care with Eliot–for me, humans are multifaceted, and if we choose to put aside great art from those who don’t share our views on some topic, it’s our loss.
In terms of publishing, I’ve sold the rights to some of my short fiction and received a lot of rejection slips. Although it’s not for everyone, apparently there are people out there who get some benefit from my poetry. Thing is I don’t really know the best way to connect with them, ie, how to get it in front of prospective readers to decide.
You could self-publish a book of poetry and market it on your blog site. That’s a starting point. And I most definitely agree with you on missing out some of the greatest other people have to offer by putting them aside due to disagreements. I often tell my children that some of the greatest treasures in life are buried in the hearts of those we disagree with. 😊. I look forward to seeing your book one day. Keep at it. You’re making the world a better place with your writing.
Thanks again, it might happen 🙂 …
The “Addendum” part struck me as very funny.
Glad you enjoyed. I have no pajamas like that, maybe I should try to find some 🙂 .
Amazing writing, provokes many thoughts, but is also a work of art in itself. I like that it offers me that, a chance to experience both you and myself at the same time, yet perhaps separate and differently.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed. For me, I write what feels right, I can’t say I really know why. I think that poetry in particular resonates differently with different readers. I find great pleasure in the poetry I read, including yours BTW, whatever emotions might arise, even though their life experiences are probably totally different to mine.