July 17, 2008

Cornucopia

Recently I have been digging into the deeper recesses of my hard disk.
Down, way down in the dark depths of the digital dungeon I have managed to find a few stories and some mouldy poetry that I have been sharing with you.
Today I present you with yet another reason as to why I am and will remain... misplaced.

Cornucopia

Remnant visions
Squinting blind light. Dust motes doing pirouettes all around me.
A dizzying calliope.
A whirlwind of flavors and hues.

Rusty mornings.
The determined call for obsidian in a cup and the staining orange nicotine.
A buttery golden sun smiles through soot stained windows
Tickling my calico cat into an unprovoked sesame Sunday languor.
With charcoal tinted apprehension I clothe myself
in scratchy tarragon tatters and ebony wool.
Then drag a comb through me perpendicular plaid promenade.

Outside.

Traipsing along pie crust pavement
and ika sumi side streets,
the BRASH, CLASH, BANG, CLANG of jalapeƱo hog horns, mustard motors and broccoli brake shoes pursue me.
Dive, I do, through the doorway of the cinnamon clouded, custard creamy, doughy donut shop.

The incessant, insipid banter
of bubbling spring brook bottle water patrons
drowns out the caramel coated background music.
Forcing me into a sweet-n-sour silence.

Cookie cutter purchasers
porpoise in and out of pineapple portals.
Clutching paper parcels with parenthetical perplexity.

Work.

Syrupy students slide slothy and slow-like into class.
Settling their softsides on swiveling supporters.
The ruffle riffle rustle of notebooks and textbooks
trick me out of a transparent trance
into a molasses mahogany work mode.

Plodding through a salt n pepper winters day
sprinkled with confectioners snowflakes.

Orange to Amber....to Puce then Purple
Turns day into
Life.

Dark.

Vixens and vampires
dressed in Violet, verdigris and vermouth.
Cajole Cajun style on cayenne counter tops
whilst
Peppermint penguins in polka dot bow ties
pour crystal colored cocktails from silvery steel cylinders
with swizzle stick style.

Laughing lunatics, madcap morons, sodding sycophants,
pleasure seeking princes, the righteous and the wronged
all set afore me
in a cacophony of complaints
and dulcet tales of desperation.

Perfumed, in polyester and pleather.
A pizza pie complexion invites
with sea salt smugness.
A libidinous levitation of illicit love.

Douse the neon fire.
Snap click the lock.
Slippery swish of soap suds saturated rag
on the brandy wine bar.
Sit , I do, in silence.
Sipping the eau de vie.

White lightning.
Washing out the wrinkles,
On the rocks.
Slaking the sandpaper sound pipe
and mellowing
The multifaceted mind.

Home.

The cuticle curling creations
of a sound byte society
flash across my Fujitsu.
Kitty Kat crouched in a curlicue twist.
Color bars and the national anthem (imagined).
Mulberry bed time and goose down dreams.

Crawling into cold crinkled comforters.
Wriggle for warmth.
Turn on the tender tunes and out with the Thomas Edison.

Sleep.

101

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed that - thank you!

Allan said...

Alright! I adore alliteration!
(What is ika sumi?)

Mona said...

Cornucopia indeed! That is a lot of goodies dug out from in there :D

I LOVE this! This is such stark and vivid imagery, with literary devices in just right measure at right places. The onomatopoeia is perfect! & the use of alliteration is the masterstroke here!

First it reminded me of Eliot's "Love song of Alfred J Prufrock" specially the donut shop!

I love the line "clutching paper parcels with parenthetical perplexity" . That is such a wonderful Visual Imagery!

"Syrupy students slide slothy and slow-like into class.
Settling their softsides on swiveling supporters." : Onomatopoeia at its best, I've ever seen !!

The next lines too : The ruffle riffle raffle....molasses ,mahogany work mode" . Excellent!

Misplaced, each word & line here is perfectly placed! The salt & pepper grey winter "sprinkled with confectioner snowflakes" ...Your cornucopia has all flavors I see! LOL!

I love the way you describe the changing colors of time ( sun) turning day into Life... Also representing colors of Life... how daytime activity forms what is called Life.

& Then the juxtaposition with Darkness & Night Life! " crystal colored cocktails" .. " silvery steely cylinders with swizzle stick style" .... The use of words here is nothing if not graceful!

Your descriptions of the creatures of the night ...I'm speechless & I read it again & again slowly taking in each imagery as a sensuous enjoyment! The description of the street walker is summed up so succinctly , Its amazing!

Such economy of words, such powerful imagery! After a long time I am delighted to encounter a work of Art of such quality!!

I love the summing up too :) I love the way you describe the electric bulb as Thomas Edison :)& also the description of coffee or tea cup in the rusty morning section! & the buttery golden sun smiling through soot stained windows reminds me of toast taken out from the toaster, toasted to a golden brown & then buttered...

Hey.. This made me hungry!

Even the imminent "fade out" at the end fits in :D even if it is accidental! :D

NYD said...

JGrrrl~ You are most welcome. Hope it didn't disturb your tummy.

Alan~ Ika Sumi is Squid ink in japanese. Pasta dishes made from it are quite popular here.

Mona~ You are far too gracious. Thank you.

C. said...

I am sorry, did you say anything after dungeon? *grins*

Pink said...

Fab! Reaaaaally really fab!
xx
pinks

whimsical brainpan said...

Such wonderful and vivid imagery. I love your use of alliteration too.

Serena said...

LOVE your poetry! It's seriously wonderful.

Anonymous said...

Did you ever listen to Def Leppards "billy's got a gun" sober- but then heard it later when you were buzzed? And couldn't believe the difference? The song has 2 versions- but only depending on YOUR state of mind. (0r MY state of mind, as the case may be)

Your poem is the same. Buzzed I understand a "pie crust pavement"...but who knows what I'll comprehend in the morning?

Nite friend- whatever time it is in your part of the world :)

-Cora <3

puerileuwaite said...

Damn. These were SO cool, I am left with nothing but praise, along with regret that I couldn't find my black beret to put on prior to reading it.

NYD said...

Thank you, thank you all. I will be posting my next masterpiece: Ode to a three legged pinapple next Monday.

Hope you all attend the reading.
Free wine and Brie cheese will be discussed.

Ed & Jeanne said...

Impressive. And you used 21 words I've never used in my life. I think that's a new record!

Aunty Belle said...

Whoa!!
"obsidian in a cup"

That is fabulous! I read yore poem to Uncle. He say, "That fella has a very creative mind."

Megan said...

Very, very cool.

moi said...

Nicely, nicely done! My favorite lines? The last four.