The BlueIris Semi-Nightly Poem Thread, 9/16/07

[BlueIris]

"Starvation"

Rain, tobacco juice, spit from the sky
shatters against your body,
as you push the pane of glass through the mud.
The white oak frame of the house shakes
when I slam the door and stand on the porch,
fanning myself with a piece of cardboard,
cut in the shape of a ham.

There's a pot of air on the stove.
You drove seventy miles, paid for that glass,
and I can’t remember the last good meal I had,
but bring it up here. I'll help you. I'm not angry.
We'll paint the sun on it from the inside,
so if we die some night, a light will still be on.
It's hell to starve in the dark.
I don't know why. I'm just your woman,
like you, crazy to lose all I've got.
It's rotton, you know, rotten.
The table's set. What time is it?
Wash your hands first. You're late.

—Ai

[wildhorses]

1. the imagery in this

stark.

ai?

really like this one. what year was it written?

[BlueIris]

3. Written? I don't know. It was published in Ai's second book, "Killing Floor," in 1979.

The year I was born (sigh; how appropriate).

[BlueIris]

4. More information about the author (one of my favorite poets ever):

http://authors.aalbc.com/ai.htm

[wildhorses]

6. thanks for the link --

:donut:

[Callalily]

2. I think we

all, at one time or another starve in the dark.

[BlueIris]

5. Yep. Because we're "crazy to lose" all we've got.

[BlueIris]

7. Kick.

[BlueIris]

8. Kick.

[BlueIris]

9. Kick.

[BlueIris]

10. Kick.

[BlueIris]

11. Kick.

[BlueIris]

12. Kick.

[BlueIris]

13. Kick.