In the west, two rivers merge,
the flows of past and future mingle
with the guests, a meet and greet.
From the shore, in a certain quality of light,
you may glimpse a flight in grey,
a moving blueprint, a system of soft levers.
Cyphers, written on the foliage
in efflorescent mimicry,
will come and go to seed,
and you may touch a lesser happiness
before the wheel of ending
makes a single turn.
We’re streaky light in morning darkness,
if not that then something else,
defined by artifice and circumstance,
woven in a stranger’s scarf, Italian knit.
What?
My requiem for the toaster.
Is it under warranty?
You should take it back.
shared laundry rules
- Do not eat the soap,
or suggest the same
to an acquaintance. - Do not penultimately decide
that you will wash a household pet
or your current outfit, in situ. - Check all pockets for relevant receipts,
including toaster purchases,
even if you’re wondering
who left the scarf in the machine,
and whether they used the delicate cycle.
Or if, when it is half past two,
why the soap is half past two,
why your clothes are half past two,
and why the stranger’s scarf is half past two.
The docket went through the wash,
and when I pegged it on the line,
an origami crow flew down,
pecked it off to feed her young.
My counterpoint on keyboard
played a dark accompaniment,
a little capriccioso, ma non troppo,
and I confessed a peccadillo or two.
I had a breakfast craving,
an impatience for some high-speed toast.
I put the toaster in the microwave,
and the microwave on the stove.
I have several requiems to write.
artwork requiem for a toaster (detail above)
Your illustration feels like a Japanese woodcut, Beautiful Steve. The first part read and flowed beautifully I kept reading it over and over. I chuckled at your laundry rules 🙂 they are a mysterious place. Bravo
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Very observant, Tamaya. I don’t specifically control what the software does but at one point I had an image that looked just like a wooden board. It wasn’t as dark as I wanted it for the requiem, and also there wasn’t much point in generating a piece of wood. 😃 Glad you enjoyed the words, it has mood changes, just the way it happened.
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God. What an ending! My condolences, Steve. I especially like the 2nd and 3rd stanzas, and the origami crow. And those 2 stanzas in a different font, that seem to represent the purely practical. So much originality in your work. Hope you get some toast soon! 🙂
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Thanks BG. I mixed it up a bit. Sometimes life is like that. I think we can go from the everyday to contemplations further afield pretty easily. I wrote the first section last, after I was over the toaster. Ha ha, in fact my toaster works fine, but I appreciate the thought. 😃
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Man, you are so ;in requiem;, Steve.
Waffle on!
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Let me tell you what happened to the waffle maker, Frank. 😄 Just kidding of course, I would never do anything silly with kitchen appliances, apart from a few adventures with the blender.
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Everyone knows about blenders, Steve, It had it coming.
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What better things to requiem about than the gadgetry work horse of breakfast?
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This is true, Daniel. I remember long ago when my uncle used to repair toasters. Now we basically throw them away when they’re dirty. Maybe that’s progress, but I’m not sure.
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Haha. One pop & they drop & off to the skip haha. Contemporary man eh. ..
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Another awesome poem and artwork – beautifully burnt toast?? 🙂
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Thanks Sobhana, I like your thinking. Perhaps an art toaster with an adjustable arrangement of elements would be a good idea. 😃 It’s as good as any of my other ideas at least. 😄
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I’m sorry for your loss. “Streaky light in morning darkness” is just gorgeous. Many other beautiful lines here, too, but that one stands out for me. See what I mean about you making something mundane sound so luxurious—this time it’s toaster and laundry. Maybe next time grocery shopping will take center stage. 😁
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Thank you, Annie. I wanted to make sure the toaster had a good sendoff. 😃 I guess you’re right. They say you can see the universe in small things, although all I’ve ever found in the toaster is burnt crumbs.😃
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I love burnt crumbs! I deliberately look for them sometimes. They’re the best part. 😁
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Well, in that case, enjoy.
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Steve I love this!’ Flows of past and future mingle’ and’ cyphers written on the foliage’ are true poetry. Also the wheel of ending makes a single turn’
has a brilliant finality.
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Glad you enjoyed, Margaret. I wrote the first non-narrative stanzas last, a bit of contrast, which I don’t mind.
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Love this, Steve, as well as the form — and the artwork is sublime. Just apprehensive as to the awaited requiem…
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Thank you, Randy. The form is a bit unusual, the change of tone, but I thought it was okay altogether. Actually I do enjoy requiems in music, they seem to bring out the best in composers. Anyway, I’m not planning to write another one in the near future. 😃
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Brilliant as ever and truly love this one. The artwork is stunning and reminds me that there is always light within a dark tunnel.
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Double thank you, Rhapsody, I’m particularly glad that came across in the image, and I agree, there is always light if we look.
With the artwork, I wasn’t happy with what I had originally, and eventually produced this one with multiple layers.
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Well double you’re welcome to you Steve. I have done multi layers artwork before too, covering up something that I envisioned differently. It always works out somehow in the end.
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Everything does …
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“you may touch a lesser happiness” – my favourite line Steve! and sometimes just this one line will linger for days, this one definitely will and it’s funny how someone else’s words can describe a time I am going through. the first part of your poem has a very wistful quality to it, like being in a space with dreaming books and dust motes. I really like this side of your writing. Household appliances and me have a tumultous relationship, my kids prefer I stay away from anything electrical or mechanical for our continued safety. My most hated thing is tissues in the pockets! they create a snowstorm in the wash!
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Thank you, Gina. Several people have commented about the opening section. After I’d written it, I kind of felt that I could have stopped there. But in fact I wrote it last, and I don’t think I would have written it at all if I hadn’t already done the narrative. Strange how the mind works.
Tissues, ha ha, tell me about it; the pieces wind up stuck to all the clothes (they prefer the dark ones). 😃
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i am fascinated with this explanation of how you restructure your writing Steve, I don’t think I ever do that. The mind is such a powerful tool and I think you have the sharpest I know here on wordpress, you bring a lot of suppressed feelings to the surface with your creative landscapes, well to me anyway when I read your poetical stories, I never know where it will lead me and just go with the flow, i enjoy the free fall.
yes always the dark ones.
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Thank you again, Gina. I suppose I do have plenty of stuff suppressed myself, and possibly a talent for scrambling things. 😃
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very funny. Steve, you are once again in a class of your own!
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Thanks, Jim. That’s after-school detention for you.
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Love the flow of the first verse.
I can well imagine someone (probably American) suing a washing machine manufacturer for not warning them about the consequences of putting a household pet in the wash.
Hope nobody tries to microwave a toaster (perhaps ‘don’t try this at home’ should be added to the end of your requiem?). 😁
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Thank you, Magarisa. Yes everyone sues everyone, but unfortunately with the things I do at home I can only blame myself. If you put a metal cup in the microwave and fill it with argon gas you can create a glowing microwave plasma. Better not try this anywhere though. 😜 I don’t know how I know. 😜
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I’ll try to forget what you told me about the metal cup, microwave and argon gas. 😉
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Those shared laundry rules are spot on. Thank you.
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My pleasure. The rules are a bit of an extrapolation from what I’ve seen in various places.
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I laughed and laughed… twisted funny! Amazingly puzzled together, and all the same I can decipher the artwork.. I’m listening to some dark winter music melody piano too.. that might set the mood 🙂 Bravo 👏
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Thank you, Ryrssyjia, glad you enjoyed. I do like requiems, and I have a number. I think they can bring out the best in composers.
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