Friday, August 27, 2010

The Kings Are Dead Long live the short lived


Cardboard Kings


Blood red sovereign exchange

‘remember that thou art dust’

And.. the brightness above?Well..

The shadows weave doubt,

hope subjugated under a cadaverous sky

I cannot remember my dreams

before hell showed the needle’s escape,

after sleeping rough in the park.,

keeping the blood line alive.


Lines, do your lines,


Double white lines on double yellows

Blind-locked beat-alley poets

damned one-way souls on shady,

shabby, dark little streets.

Our days float blind above cobbles

sleeping partners trading on sacred times.

We are TheCardboard kings!

By night we sink cans of Dutch Gold,

watch Liffey Boardwalk lovers weave

Midsummer’s other dream,

our eyes spaced-out flying saucers

as they tango in moonlit oblivion to ‘us’-

and Mammon’s crack burning ire.

They, seeing only despair,

never know that ,we, each night,

in cutting-edge purgatorial desire,

witness spaceships and vultures,

hope and damnation,

demons and angels,

Circling their god’s magnificent spire.

18 comments:

The Weaver of Grass said...

My goodness me, Eej - your poem has certainly hit the part other poems cannot reach! Brilliant stuff - almost halucinatory. Not for nothing is the word verification 'grailer' (shall I add holy to that?

Heather said...

Strong stuff TFE and a bit scary if I start to try to analyse it. Wonderful, nonetheless.

Titus said...

Wow, Mr Eejit, some real stand-out stuff in this.
Loved
"Our days float blind above cobbles
sleeping partners trading on sacred times."
and the spaceships and vultures.
Very nice indeed.

Dr. Jeanne Iris said...

Was this your 'school days' experience?

Quite dark, but also quite poetic.

Rachel Fox said...

Yes, it builds to a really good end. Those spaceships and vultures - top stuff.
x

Unknown said...

wow heavy stuff here. I liked this:

Double white lines on double yellows
Blind-locked beat-alley poets
damned one-way souls on shady,
shabby, dark little streets.

ArtSparker said...

Stately urban drama in this.

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks Weaver, I likesallthat!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks too to you Heather!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks wonderdog!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks Jeanne, but no, the schooldays poem is still brewing!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thankly foxter!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thankly kindlo Jessbury!

Dave King said...

Excellento, my friend. Can't say more until I get my breath back, but excellento, indeed!

Padhraig Nolan said...

That' a cracker Peadar. Really gets going from the line ' We are the Cardboard Kings'.

I'm wondering - if you cut everything before that - would it be stronger - more immediate, being dropped right in there? i.e. frst line (after title) being "By night we sink cans....".

Or does the prologue to that point serve to better contextualise the inner turmoil of the King's mind?
I can't decide - but I like both possibilities. Great stuff!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks for those words Dave!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks Padhraig, and for the suggestion too.You might be right.I can't decide now either!!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Sparkey! Ye snuck in there, thank ye!