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Trouble With Graves
Submitted by limbs on August 14, 2009 – 10:48 amOne Comment
Trouble With Graves
by limbs
Ceremonial tea bowls
loom ceramic and livid
between pallid girl and Pinkerton irresponsibility
Crooked temple
loosely structured
resigned in haste
Prayer done through hands
calloused
dominated by habit
Foundations shudder
Listless
The plume of smoke trees murmur outside
against the fertile backdrop
The only woman
against a wave of residual stresses
subtle but unmistakable
fetters
dispose of the ashes
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This extends to a depth way below the 6-feet-under typically associated with D E A T H. But that’s the whole point i would say, taking a look at the crass convention of how we deal with/conceive of death and its ‘fettering’ of our lack of envisioning. Death can be a great new adventure, after all.
‘The Trouble with Graves’…crucial title! It really points the reader in right direction. Word choice with ‘pallid’, ‘listless’, and ‘calloused’ paint a very dismal picture of that quintessential downer–the grim reaper who doesn’t look like Brad Pitt, but Gabriel Byrne.
My favorite lines were at the beginning: “Ceremonial tea bowls loom ceramic and livid between pallid girl and Pinkerton irresponsibility”. ‘Livid’ and ‘pallid’ coalesce-rhyme into good sound poetry without being too traditional being confined to end of line.
Downcast Legalism vs. what? Upbeat Imagination or something at least a little more happy-happy-joy-joy. It’s a good point. It is the natural conclusion to life, we should make it worthwhile too.
Thanks limbs for insightful poem!