The RetroLounge Daily Poem Thread (Wed 6/28/06)

[RetroLounge]

Awake, Asleep

I’m a poet in my sleep,
awake I’m dull.
Asleep I seek your mouth
where lips are lounging
like tanned tourists, legs slightly parted.
Awake I play ping pong.
Asleep I wander deserts in gauze gowns.
Awake I smile politely.
Asleep I dive to the bottom
where the fish arrange their bodies
in an ocean alphabet
and I can read their scales
like an ancient code explaining the mouths
of rivers and the ears of palms,
why day and night and wet and dry
and you and I exist.

At night in sleep you take me in,
by day I’m caught in shallows and left out.
Awake I talk
asleep I sing.
I’m the tide following the moon.
Awake you don’t see me.
Asleep I’m your blood.
Red I course inside you,
rush right through your heart.
Awake words are heavy as pillars of salt.
Asleep I swim new ones with each stroke of my arm.
I’m so beautiful I’d never recognize myself.
No wonder I feel dread on the low threshold of dawn,
slipping into my heavy shoes
and leaving you again.

Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge

********************

RL

If you have a request for a certain Poet, post their name in the thread and I will find a poem by them and post it...

if you want to see some of my poetry, see the blog at:
http://www.myspace.com/retropaul

[miss_american_pie]

1. Very pretty

and I can read their scales
like an ancient code explaining the mouths
of rivers and the ears of palms

:hi:

[RetroLounge]

2. It is nice...

At night in sleep you take me in,
by day I’m caught in shallows and left out.
Awake I talk
asleep I sing.

RL

[RetroLounge]

3. Kick

Hello? Where's all the Poem Thread fans today?

Doesn't anyone like this one?

:shrug:

RL

[txwhitedove]

4. It's summer, we're hither, thither and...er, gone. I loved the poem

for today, as always. My fav line "...lips are lounging like tanned tourists..."

[RetroLounge]

5. ...

:hi:

RL

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. My dear Retro!

Sorry sweetie.....I missed you this morning......

I've been busy all day......

This is a wonderful poem!

The imagery is so beautiful....so eloquent....even sexy!

Thank you.....

:loveya: :hug:


BTW, I have TWO THREADS which are languishing at the bottom of the page......hint.....:shrug:

[RetroLounge]

7. ...

:hug:

RL

[WCGreen]

8. That's a good one......

I haven't done poetry for a while now...

Getting back to enjoying the turn of a phrase and the lilt of the language...