on days, when life breaks
my skin like ant battalions &
their frontman, carrying the flag,
attacking forts with
yellow war shouts, i
just wanna sit, wrapped
in a blanket on the couch,
reading Rilke and Bukowski–
in the middle of catastrophes,
munch chocolate cake and sip
italian red wine from a water glass,
actually i do this all the time,
and somehow
water glasses feel more earthed
than their proud brothers that
stand on thin flamingo legs,
lips pinched, flutter bumptious
with their wings & YYYYell
with rosy tongues:
“look– Look–uuuuhhh LOOK– at ME,
i’m swaggering, crimson &
reVerse, stiletto verb_ally
down the sophisticated alleys
and i Ne//ver Fall–”
well, really.. i–
take my glass and drink
to all the wordy beetles, i
collected from the city’s rubbish bins,
that lie now, comfortably stretched
on a woolen blanket–
watch the latest thriller on tv
as if nothing in the world
could really shake ‘em– and
they whimsically– smile at me
.
over at dVerse, Victoria will take us along allegorical paths and alleys, where nothing really is as it seems to be on first read…smiles…and what i really wanted to say…cheers to a relaxed style of poetry…smiles…and the meeting the bar doors will swing open at 3pm EST
heh, buk def is a comfort..maybe making me feel i am not so jacked up…smiles…love the ant imagery you open with…nice progression as well to the water glass and its being more grounded in reality…really fun word play through there…and i am a sucker for word play…the beetles at the end as well…leave me smiling…nicely done claudia…
… lounging on the couch (check) … reading Rilke (check) … drinking wine from a waterglass (check)
I love the imagery all through this. It is an army of thought in of itself. I also love the ant battalion marching and the down to earth drinking wine from an ordinary glass and not the stemmed ones. It’s all so grounded in realism, despite the allegory.
It all left me smiling too.
I’d replace the wine with ice cream…
You clutch that waterglass and feel more grounded and secure while the wine glass is so easy to break if you squeeze to hard. I’m the wine glass and my husband is a nice sturdy tumbler. Love this.
Not even a wineglass can avoid being phony these days–a mason jar(it has threads for a lid and is used for canning) used to be common around here for serving all kinds of beverages, but now days, that’s just too down home–love the way this poem shows how to find (and use) comfort, with words and with whatever we love the most.
Fabulous Claudia – thank you once again for sharing your world with us!
you make having a glass a wine sound comforting, while wrapped in a warm blanket. and really must read this Bukowski. good piece of work you’ve written through eyes of your MC
this imagery got me: “stand on thin flamingo legs,
lips pinched, flutter bumptious
with their wings & YYYYell
with rosy tongues”:…how do you do it, Claudia?…the imagery…the word “flutter bumptious” made me chuckle…how are you? Blessings, friend
The imagination takes flight in beautiful leaps, Claudia.
Nice job Claudia, really like the just wanna sit stanza, so at ease, in one’s own environment, comfortably on the couch, amidst outer catastrophe, reading, sipping wine and eating cake. Very nicely penned. Thanks
You never cease to amaze me how you can take an event and turn into such a fine poem…I had to chuckle as I read it…with my fluted wine glass in hand.
I adore the first two stanzas!
I started smiling at flamingo…. and will evermore see wine glasses through your poet’s eyes.
this is fabulous, and it sounds like the perfect day to me.
“Wer jetzt kein Haus hat….”
Luckily you do, and a sofa and a water glass or two
Just as well we can escape the fray in such a comfortable way.
Ah, a woman after my own heart. This was flirty and fun and I love it.
Wonderful, warm, endearing, and pitch perfect, another stunner from you!
Look at yoiu capturing the little tidbits of the day. Although you can keep the wine, the cat does not indulge, he’ll stick to his apple juice..haha
I do understand wanting to sit on a couch reading Rilke or Bukowsk in the middle of catastrophes… Sometimes it is nice just to find a way to escape. I will drink wine from a water glass as well rather than using the pretty glasses with flamingo legs. Not so likely to tip at the computer. (Smile.) I always find lots to appreciate in your poems. I admire the way your thoughts travel and explore.
As always, you take me deep into my imagination and make me smile. I’m now going to look for some of those word beetles.
Claudia, I mentioned you in my blog today.
Now I must google Rilke and find cake, as wine is always at the ready.
Okay… That settles it, red wine for me.
I really like this Claudia
I love coming here… In case I haven’t said that 10,472 times yet.
As always, you did a fantastic job with the prompt.
I’m especially fond of the opening:
“when life breaks
my skin like ant battalions &
their frontman, carrying the flag,
attacking forts with
yellow war shouts,”
I’ve known a few days like that
on days, when life breaks
my skin like ant battalions &
their frontman, carrying the flag,
attacking forts with
yellow war shouts…”
Hi! Claudia…
Your stanza above it seems is the catalyst that set the ball in motion to lead to this:
“just wanna sit, wrapped
in a blanket on the couch,
reading Rilke and Bukowski–
in the middle of catastrophes,
munch chocolate cake and sip
italian red wine from a water glass…”
What a very beautiful poem, very descriptive [Especially, your description Of the difference between the [drinking] glasses] and one where all readers/people can probably relate…[just fill in your "weapon" Of choice: Cookies, Chocolate bars, chips, etc,etc,etc...]
Tks, for sharing your beautiful poetic words today… too!
deedee
Make it ice cream for me, and I can watch anything on the tv ~ I specially like the wordy beetles comfortably sitting along with you ~
This is so much fun.
I love the description of the flamingo-leg glasses. Awesome!
This is my favorite:
“somehow
water glasses feel more earthed
than their proud brothers”
Love it, Claudia! Your poems amaze me; you say things in such an easy way, but somehow you always make my eyes start to widen as I get further into it. Your description of the wine glass is priceless. Really enjoyed this–and all your writings!
Very nice… I like wordy beetles how cute! All your journey’s resting on the couch with you…lovely descriptions!
water glasses feel more earthed
You made me smile.
than their proud brothers that
stand on thin flamingo legs….nice….love the word play as well
It sounds like a perfect day for me too. Buk, cake, wine, tv – now that’s what I call civilized. Count me in. Great poem,lady.
‘wrapped
in a blanket on the couch,
reading Rilke and Bukowski–
in the middle of catastrophes,
munch chocolate cake and sip
italian red wine from a water glass’
does it get any better!?
Some wonderful pictures this conjures up,
wrapped
in a blanket on the couch,
reading Rilke and Bukowski–
in the middle of catastrophes,
not the least of them.
Left me feeling I wanted more.
You always astonish me, making so many startling images that thrive like so many verbal neutrinos in an alternate universe that intersects this one we call home, headed into other unknowns time/spaces.
Made me feel all lazy and relaxed. A tumbler is much easier to balance alongside a book when my mind is wandering. Not sure about red wine with chocolate though, but I have seen hot chocolate and churrus being eaten with tinto. Enjoyed it.
I feel a bit like a sensual Gregor Mendel here – I don’t think I’m spelling it quite right- but metaphorsisizing into a much better version of that story – Why didn’t Kafka just read some Bukowski! And drink red wine! K.
I should say that “you feel” –but the reader picks up the feeling too. K.
The imagery just falls into such wonderful places in this poem, and for me is the driving force behind it.
I love the image of the wine glass, like a stilleto heel, too thin for practicality, more an art form, breakable so fast.
This poem just sings with life~!
Jane
that might be the best way to deal with a catastrophe:) yellow war shouts and a water glass, i like it.
Beautiful imagery throughout Claudia. This piece is grounding and now I “just wanna sit, wrapped in a blanket on the couch” on this cold, rainy day here in Brisbane
You give the moment its absolute breath in this. Always joy to read your words ~ Rose
I love your writing style Claudia (said that before) and from it I learn my craft a little bit more…
Love this – the allegory is perfect
Love this, especially those proud wine glasses on their stiletto/flamingo legs.
Mine was written with tongue planted firmly in cheek:
http://whimsygizmo.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/allie-glory/
You cant read Bukowski without drinking red wine out of old jam jars:)
Right now I am reading Schoenfeld at the dinner table with a glass of San Pellegrino… Somehow, I don’t miss Bukowski or Rilke.
I love this poem and the ending is lovely and gives the sense of Claudia as snug as a bug in a rug.
love the comparison between the glasses – I would prefer a water glass as well. and the chocolate cake – bring it on! (smiles)
I loved that comparison too…between the wine and water glasses. Does it really make the wine taste all that much different if sipped from a “whine” glass?
“somehow
water glasses feel more earthed
than their proud brothers that
stand on thin flamingo legs” -
yea, there’s a grounding there i think
wrapped in blankets watching thrillers on the tv…
yea, a grounding, ’cause we all know what you mean
Toasting properly those “word beetles” collected along the way helps them to line up in better form!
I say, that ‘time out’ can be okay if you go with the flow. Nice!