you lied
when you brazenly told the new group
that you are wild & adventurous
one person took your word
& tested your boundaries-
he knocked at your hotel
door at midnight
you are new <here>
strangely, this city is brimming of cloves,
nutmeg & spicy hot peppers-
you are writing a new page
in this exciting theatre stop
your head is swimming with beer & crackers
enamored with the lure & lore, you
are making a a bold move
(in your head with clouds)
you plump up your plumeria-
misted pillows
& settle down deep in your bed, ignoring
the knocking at your door-
the phone ringing with urgency-
you recall that you are just a visitor here
& must go back to your home
base later in the day-
your luggage & plane tickets are ready-
there are some doors that you
need not open-
there are some bridge planks
that you guesstimate is too short for you
to land firmly on shores-
you just prefer everyday life
to be boring
as a dissected frog-
I can see him running away from the challanges given freely... a lot of clouds in his head.
ReplyDeleteA traveler can't be a coward, or can (s)he? I love this piquant indictment by persona, Grace, giving us a character sketch that deflates the pretended one of being "wild & adventurous."
ReplyDeleteYour opening lines hooked me, Grace, and I wanted to know more about the coward who lied. I love the ‘city is brimming of cloves, nutmeg & spicy hot peppers’, which must be exciting for someone who is writing a new page.
ReplyDeleteThis is incredibly potent, Grace! ❤️ I can picture the city "brimming of cloves, nutmeg & spicy hot peppers," and see him settling down and ignoring the knocking at the door.
ReplyDeleteAn (un) interesting character made interesting by your words.
ReplyDeletea 'calling your bluff' poem written with such wry observations and a challenging voice
ReplyDeleteThe traveling we do as poets is virtual and rather dilletantish -- for this one, at least -- nothing like a wild-scented noir exulted from the safety of my boring comfy writing chair. And just because I've sailed through those places doesn't mean I behave better or wilder when I actually find myself on the ground there, itching to get home and write about it.
ReplyDeleteThat opening line is certainly a hook.Or defense mechanism, perhaps! I love how you go about deconstructing that lie.
ReplyDeleteOh, oof, this arrow hits home and shivers there. And that ending! Really well done and spot on.
ReplyDeleteAn intriguing and entertaining tale, the lie morphing to home truths! That last line is such fun – so startling and so right.
ReplyDelete"head swimming with beer & crackers"-- well, there you go. can't trust what anyone says under such circumstances. ;)
ReplyDeleteSo much promise in the opening assertion - such a disappointment unfolded Grace...
ReplyDeleteThe last two lines are perfect:
ReplyDeleteto be boring
as a dissected frog-