Sunday, November 27, 2011

Red is the Color


image borrowed from bing

Red is the Color

Asleep on the red sofa,
cushions soaked with urine,
tucked tight beneath the freeway,
ratty sleeping bag covering
the tracks between her dirty toes;
adrift in a lovely meth dream,
she became

a Cherokee princess, her long wet hair
shining by a quiet pool beneath a
magic waterfall, the sound of the traffic
flow merging with her illusions, playing
a wooden flute in perfect chorus
with the Disney bird-chatter in the glen,

greeting a smiling morning, its golden
shafts of sunlight piercing the thick
canopy of conifers, her dark lids twitching
with REM freedom, as she felt
the flush of first love, her mouth
on the reed reflecting her joy,
her fetching visage shimmering
in the deep clear water beside her;

while robins, jays, and sparrows flitted
about in tempestuous bird tag,
bouncing on low branches, barely
hearing the pair of crows pecking
at the scabs on her exposed feet.

Glenn Buttkus

November 2011

Listed as #26 over on Magpie Tales 93

Would you like to hear the author read this poem to you?

11 comments:

Berowne said...

An excellent piece of writing. (REM freedom is the only freedom.)

Tess Kincaid said...

Dark and powerful write, Glen.

Tess Kincaid said...

(oops...add another "n" there...)

Laurie Kolp said...

This creates a sad image of the hopeless addict. The filth, stench, oblivion, scabs being pecked... great piece, Glenn!

Brian Miller said...

dude...the crows picking at the scabs of her feet is a great finishing touch...gritty...just the way i like it...smiles.

Helen said...

You took me there, great writing, Glenn.

Isabel Doyle said...

the crows were a particulalry lurid touch - well done

Anonymous said...

Excellent as always

hyperCRYPTICal said...

Ditto to the excellent (also a WOW!) Brilliant write!

Anna :o]

chiccoreal said...

Dear Glenn: Love how the couch morphed into a Cherokee princess; much magic! And the nitty-grittyness...all these intersections dissecting between the fantasia real'm...a portent blend o' life!

Anonymous said...

great imagery