Sunday, April 17, 2011

Decay


‘shh’ rustles the
willow as I settle
down in its crook
to watch the show

to set the scene: a flooded bog with wanting plants
reaching down to the muddy water, dark

the cast: just
the body floating
with its hair tangled
in hidden, up-reaching
branches, motionless

the first scene:
the first little nibbles
here                      there
slowly                   bone is
revealed              after many
  days, until         bleached polka
dots rein over    the lonely corpse
and they’re not    just dots anymore

the final scene: live bodies
leaving, breathing live bodies
come and turn it over
revealing          the        familiar
structure       of the    face
that was       once     mine
sockets now empty and I
gasp at the unbelievable climax
curtain closes
as my spirit leaves the willow
and I am free

10 comments:

  1. I LOVE the format. Once again Brooke, you never fail to impress. ;D

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  2. Thanks. Did you get what shape the bottom stanza was supposed to be?

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  3. Lovely, just lovely. Is the bottom stanza a skull? Skull and crossbones?

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  4. I love this. Wow. So vivid. I love the stanza shapes too!
    Edge of Your Seat Romance

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  5. I've actually started to like concrete poems lately. They add a nice feel.

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  6. Oooh! I see the skull! I remember having to write a poem in a shape for school. You so totally would have taken the cake. And I like all this gore you've got going on lately. *wide eyes* You write it well. *insert maniacal laughter here!*

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  7. Maniacal laughter was definitely insert. -wink-

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  8. Wow, so creepy and powerful. Since I've been following your posts, this is my favorite poem so far. I'm a big fan of concrete poetry.

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  9. Thank you, Theresa. ^^ Then you should also check out Nightmare (link in sidebar through archive).

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