Tuesday, March 24, 2009

In Like a Lion

I guess eventually I'll write one to go with all of them, major and minor arcana.

The Judgment Card

Why, you! And here I thought you
were dead. Across a crowded room,
What's new, probably she was bored,
All that. There's nothing like a glimpse
Between the gilded pillars, between the stems
Of those huge exotic blooms, the pricey trumpet
Lilies of the kind I didn't think we'd see again.
Nor those rich robes, so fresh. I see them
Swirl around her ankles as the chains fall away.
Oh roar away, and clash a cymbal or so.
What I'm listening for is her breath,
Filtered through nicotine, drawing down,
(She breathes his need, you know. No blood
For that vamp. All it takes is a whisper
Of despair, and she's there!) Oh blow;
The lion, the lamb, the lily, the rose,
The stage, all set; the revelation, yes,
And the wings, poised to lift
Those who lie to new life.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

nice, very nice . . .

john s.

Unknown said...

Indeed. I look forward to the whole reading.

Anonymous said...

when is the reading? I was invited and then . . .
I'm assuming this is artomatic. I might even have something(s) to contribute; I don't know.

Anonymous said...

js.

Sally Wilde said...

thanks, y'all. it's kind of progrock, isn't it?

johnny, i hope you do! i'm waiting to hear--artomatic'll be announcing spaces available soon. they might not have a poetry lounge this year, but one person i asked about reading said maybe we can work something out on one of the stages if they don't. i don't think i'll be reading myself, but i'll be setting up a reading (or more than one, if it works) for others.

as for a non-artomatic reading, i'm waiting til after june to start exploring venues again, after feeling chopped and screwed, as i put in that email. if the economy gets bad enough, no more bar minimums, maybe.

what i don't get is why when there were like two bars in dc you could always set up a free reading, but now that there are dozens of places to go, you can't. is it that there are so many poets that the bars must shut them out or be overrun by them, like rats?

Anonymous said...

out of my element; I just don't know the answers to that? ...
I don't know if I've written anything readable or not in the last year. I'll look and see. - js