Friday, February 19, 2010

A Thousand Miles and I’m Getting There Too Soon


I am a one-way street
Traffic combs my hair-shirt hackles
You are the ghost highway
Where horsemen headless rattle shackles

I am the vampyr moon
Eye teeth arch behind plastic lip-gloss
You are the Aztec sun
Cooled to rage by empyre and cross

I am the evolving ape-man
Chisel-tooth necklace and sharpened stone
You are the will of the forest
Breathing light and decaying bone

I am the padded cell
Danger contagious no lace in my shoe
Decorate your walls in calligraphy

You are a two-way mirror
Quicksilver for the passing through
Of light and lacklustre astrology

You are the will of the forest
Fetid rotting insect moon
I am the evolving ape-man
Lost his mind, found his voice too soon

You are the Aztec sun
Stone trees silhouette the reeling stars
I am the vampyr moon
Blood 'n' guts nightclubs, singles bars

You are the ghost highway
Blue lights flash against your will
I am a one-way street
This glass city flows but I stand still


Title from “I’ve Been Let Down” by Mazzy Star
"Catch a train on a silver afternoon
A thousand miles and I’m getting there too soon
Take me there when I should be going home
Tell me why I’m still feelin' all alone"

10 comments:

the walking man said...

What a brilliant thing this is that you have done. The change up is so smooth between the I and You.

The lament so unforgiving but nonjudgmental.

Potent PI, very potent.

human being said...

wow!
you have superceded John Donne... all these far-fetched yet impressive images and metaphors...

i have a hard time visitinig blogger friends due to my internet conditions... but i told myself, you should find a way to PI's blog to tell him this work is so stunning...

namaste!

JeffScape said...

This is awesome. Initially it simply feels like a decent poem, but then you hit the "mirror" and it becomes brilliant.

Repeat: this is awesome.

And, hey, nice utilization of Mazzy Star! Is she still around?

Garth said...

Walking Man: high praise from an established and published poet; Thank you!

Human Being: comparisons to John Donne are always nice :) I don't think I can live up to that however - thanks for the dangerous visit.

JeffScape: Again, Thank you! You r words are much appreciated :).
Hope Sandoval (singer from Mazzy Star) is now operating under the name Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions - two albums so far.

Memory Power said...

Good Conceptual Photo, very nice

Tom said...

this is a great great read. And the picture is well worth blowing up for a closer view.

Harlequin said...

as others have mentioned, the quicksilver mirror stanza is brilliant, both as lyrical delight and landscape shift, a wonderful read.
I also liked the y as vowel; nice touch

Diane Dehler said...

I agree with the other commenters. This poem is truly exceptional.

Justin R. said...

Being rather envious of your talent Pisces I suspect you of deals with the Dark One for such amazing displays. Spent much time at any crossroads at the stroke of midnight lately? ;-)

Garth said...

Tom: friday night out in Colchester :)

Harlequin: It's funny how the process works... I started with I am a one-way street and you are a two-way mirror and an hour later the original conrast was lost in the whole.

Princess Haiku: Thank you - good to hear from you again :D

Justin: I've been to the crossroads but the dark one didn't turn up - typical!

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