Friday, October 13, 2006

Couplets, dime rhymes, and cheap thrills

Why is the doctor crying?
Is he in love with you?

The pick pocket wanders the aisles
of the empty bazaar at night
dreaming of the day and fat pockets.

He sees himself out-running them all
Suddenly he’s safe in his limousine –
the pockets of his fine suit are full
and everybody wants to give him money
for no reason; girls only want his love.

Envy, everybody is dying of it.
He rides to his mansion and is safe
in its cocoon-like emptiness.

He lies down in the empty aisle,
beside the cold metal container
and smiles in his fast paced dreams.

The doctor is hanging a mirror in front of his eye;
the cheek behind it glistens and sparkles.

One dreamer dreams the other is also asleep.
The other dreamer dreams only he is awake.

Elena, your sparkling black eyes
are the only night in which there is light.

The fat man is starving
inside the lard bucket of his body.

Zhamilla’s smile infects the poor boy with incurable happiness;
after she leaves, he dies of unrealized emptiness.

The night is collected in a cup;
the day drinks it up.
Each night there is more darkness;
in winter the day will die of indigestion.

We completely cannot see through
the dark overtaking me, you.

Fish have it easy -
They cannot drown
no matter how we cry.

14 comments:

Natalia L. Rudychev said...

Powerful write! Deep and dark!

"The night is collected in a cup;
the day drinks it up.
Each night there is more darkness;
in winter the day will die of indigestion."

Love these lines.

Pat Paulk said...

Russell, this is my new favorite of yours!!! Though dark, and obviously penned with some of your blood, the imagery here is so rich it has to be taken in small bites, and each savored before moving to the next.

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks Natalia! I'm glad you found these lines to be meaningful. Thanks for your very pleasant comment!

Russell Ragsdale said...

Wow Pat! Thanks a lot! Yes, this is me with my dark coat on ... well we won't follow that metaphore any further. Suffice it to say, I'm really pleased you found the imagery to be rich and rewarding. Thanks for the great comment, my friend.

M. Shahin said...

Stunning and very unique descriptions! You express everything in a refreshing manner.

I love the last lines. The fish will not drown, but often we do from heartache and broken links.

Collecting night in a cup, you have collected one man's heart Russell, and shared the common string that attaches us all.

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks m shahin! Glad you found this interesting and moving. I am honored by your words! That string that binds us is very strong.

gulnaz said...

deep deep deep
dark and lovely.
excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gulnaz said...

can you hear the claps? :)

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks my sweet Gulnaz! I am delighted and, of course, honored. Two post even, Wow, you make me very happy. Thanks my sweet.

gautami tripathy said...

One has to read more than once to get to the gist of it. I enjoyed the richness of it...dark, morbid but very
thought provoking...

Sue hardy-Dawson said...

Just love that last stanza I think I will put it on the wall-lots of excelent lines and it reads as if the subject is arguing with the world but the last stanza is my favourite

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks gautami tripathy! A thick bit of reading, unfortunately rather dark as well. Pat has begun to refer to me under the alias of Darth Vader. I think I battle too much with the darkness I see to qualify as a dark lord although. Thanks for the wonderful comment.

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks Sue! It is the record of a big, dark argument with a big, dark world.

Russell Ragsdale said...

Hi again, Sue! Forgot to add, thanks for the kind words on the last stanza. I'm really glad you liked it!