in happy town
where the girls
are teddy bears
boxing
and the boys
are shirtless
fur
there's home
brewing
in the basement
there's cigar
teeth
and cycle
knees
there's yard
apes
corn and creeks
there's you
dancing with
the saddest bear
in the cage
by the road
My love for this knows no bounds...
ReplyDelete...and every word is true...
DeleteDitto. The teeth/creeks is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joanne.
DeleteAwww... I hate seeing bears in street/circus acts. Hate seeing any animal abuse. This poem is brilliant because it could be bears or humans too.
ReplyDeleteAnything caged is sad, I think.
DeleteI love how this poem opens up a world of possibilities. The caged bear is a potent symbol. Puts me in mind of the Gustave Flaubert quote: “Language is like a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to while all the time we long to move the stars to pity.”
ReplyDeleteThanks for the quote. I hadn't heard that, but I feel it.
DeleteI saw kids.in my mind until I saw the picture, then it had another meaning, wonderful
ReplyDeleteThanks, Emma, and welcome here.
DeleteWow, this is fun, but I don't get it, so I will read again.
ReplyDeleteWas it suppose to make sense or are the words just dancing in a mash pit?
girls are teddy bears boxing. [what a contrast]
there's yard apes, com and creeks. [com?]
Some hints please! I loved the feel and the pic is great. But the poem seemed like word play with no intent of thought sharing -- correct?
I guess, Sabio, the truth is that poetry "means" what you think it means. If it seems to be nonsense, then maybe it is. Maybe it's written just for the sound of the words...or the images that the poet sees in her mind's eye. In truth, this poem is filled with truths. When my sister read it, she knew every one of them, so in that sense, it is very personal, but if you think of the bear as symbol, you can make meaning for yourself.
DeleteThanks for trying!
Yes, I know the "Poetry means whatever you see" position.
DeleteBut I was kind of curious what you did to write this.
For instance, did you find the picture and write while looking at it. Or write then look for a pic?
Did you think of three truths and then wax poetic?
Is this a hodgepodge of images for you or did you write it with any coherence in mind?
Did you write to communicate something, or did you just write to offer folks material for their own personal Rorschach party ? :-)
See, those were my sort of questions?
But if you want to keep it mysterious, that is fine.
I wrote this for myself and with a particular reader (my sisterr) in mind. It is filled with imagery that someone who lived where we did and as we did would recognize. I usually do not try to be enigmatic. As a matter of fact, I dislike enigmatic poetry, but after writing this, I felt that the animal symbols might speak to others as symbols, not memories.
DeleteThe picture I found when I was looking for something to accompany the poem. It was an after-thought.
Sorry to not have answered you before.
Ah, gottcha. It is very cool that your sister totally understood. After all, it was written for her. Nice!
DeleteI found myself reminiscing of another time, and ......'dancing with the saddest bear in the cage' gave me chills - the power of imagery and association.
ReplyDeleteHi, Accidentalwriter! Welcome here. Yes, this poem is filled with reminiscence. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteI am with Accidentalwriter. The poem and image gave me chills.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo. The poem was a bit disconcerting, as I suspect was intended.
ReplyDeleteMemories haunt sometimes, Kim. No?
DeleteThat ending sucked out all my breath!
ReplyDeleteI love when that happens! ;-)
Deletewhat a lovely painting and i enjoyed the poem too, specially the ending
ReplyDeleteThanks, Juliet. I love when you feel moved to comment, as I respect your view do much.
DeleteWhat a perfectly perfect poem to go with the illustration. I thought of happy trips to our local zoo with my grandchildren in tow. xo
ReplyDeleteHello, Marion! It's nice to see you again! I still visit chez vous and read your wonderful posts frequently. Thanks for your comment. Actually, the poem preceded the painting. It just seemed to fit so well.
DeleteBeautiful take, Karen! Just hate to know and to see a caged animal.
ReplyDeleteHank
So do I, Hank, and that truly did exist. So sad.
DeleteThanks for your comment.