Come at a Price

Posted on November 27, 2019 by

26 Comments

Marquês de Pombal

The amount of alcohol in her drink.

The loudness of her laugh.

Soft shirt sleeves, brushing raw, coded skin.

Tender angst made her…

Makes her

Voice rise

Like dinnertime restaurant dishes.

All she said, forgotten.

All she would have said, remembered.

 

 

 

Category: PoetryTags: , , , , , , , , , ,

26 Comments on “Come at a Price”

  6. You mention Adrienne Rich as one of your influences. I discovered her early in my reading. I love her collection The Dream of a Common Language, especially Transcendental Etude

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Yes, Joni. You get it. This poem illustrates regret occurring no matter what choice is made. Humans are a funny animal. It does contain some other themes as well. Thanks so much!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Regret, how and why I would have done it differently if I had another chance. Second guessing a game of disappointment in oneself. Love this poem. Beautifully provoking. Thank you Elan.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Oh, my gosh. Sorry not to be elegant in my first response but this is so elegant! And so poignantly stated. Speak lady, speak!

    Liked by 1 person

  14. I was intrigued that the poem was about a woman together with a photo of the statue of the Marques de Pombal. I did some reading about him and couldn’t find a clear connection besides his eloping with his first wife. How the poem was brought into the present moment in the lines of ”Tender angst made her …” becoming ”… makes her ..” suggests a continuous situation where all vulnerable women, having a seeming innocent drink may be overwhelmed by a strong character.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. i often have to do research to ‘get’ your poems. I’ll have to get back to you on this one. It’s late here where I am and sleep is important too. 🙂

    Like

  17. The proverbial “Lady in the Glass.” Hitch said it once, “I don’t know why, but it’s worse when women do it.” I hate to sound sexist, but he’s right.

    Pro Tip: she knows. Hold her. Help her. Listen. PUSH HER. …or condemn her to a “higher, longer” struggle. and condemn yourself as one who holds his manhood cheap.

    I wish i could write as crisply as this author.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. I’m not super well-read in all honesty, but I can see Whitman and Dickinson. It’s awesome to see so many people not with us now, have had an impact on your prose today. 🙂

    Life is a great influence…I’m grateful we each have a completely unique experience, so we can all help each other see things a bit differently from time to time. 🙂

    Definitely a lot of respect to your predecessors, and to the mind God gave you to observe and interpret this amazingly intense and complex creation all around us…it’s a wonderful world of information and relationships (symbiotic and parasitic) that we still have yet to explore more.

    <+3
    BPC – Romans 1:20

    Like

  20. Why thanks! I’ve never considered my poetry like Poe’s. But we are all links in a long chain. T.S Eliot wrote an essay entitled “Tradition and the Individual Talent”. Although I didn’t agree with all he wrote, it was quite intriguing. However, Whitman, Rich, Eliot, Pound, Williams, Dickinson, Hughs, Stein, Angelou, HD, Ginsburg, Kerouac, and many, many more I’ve read, have been great influences on me. Oh yeah, and life too. Perhaps, life has been a larger influence on me than the poets. I’m just giving respect where respect is due.

    Liked by 2 people

  21. I enjoy your depth and character of words. Your writing reminds me of E.A.Poe…have you ever read “Nevermore”?

    Like

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