Sunday, August 10, 2008

August

In August heat
.............we see
...............from every crossroad
.............a funeral procession winding
..........through narrow hillside streets
..or perhaps it is several processions
for several funerals

so many people are dying now

under a bridge
a thousand miles from here
in the place that was his living home
a dead man hangs


15 comments:

polona said...

wow, powerful!

Odessa said...

oh wow! very beautiful. i love the format on the first stanza too.

anthonynorth said...

For a bright species we can be incredibly dumb, don't you think?
Very powerful.

Anonymous said...

That is a great poem, Juliet. Swings slowly and gets tighter and tighter round its image. Craft with purpose, fantastic.

Anonymous said...

Agreed with anthonynorth, above! An interesting piece out of the context of the prompt as well--there's a terrible sense of foreboding and mystery surrounding the month's many deaths.

Raven's Wing Poetry said...

Very sad and very beautiful. Your formatting in the first stanza is apropos to the winding funeral.

-Nicole

Anonymous said...

Made my heart hurt, so measured and respectful, stark.

ren powell said...

It's been said above. Ditto. thanks.

Anonymous said...

That line "so many people are dying now" -- it's so striking. Great layout of lines too.

mareymercy said...

I like this, although I admit I do not know who or what the second stanza is referring to? Something/someone specific I am too out of touch to know? Still, very powerful.

Ana said...

simple yet powerful,as a true poem it does not waste words.

Anonymous said...

I think what you have said here is something so universal to all of us. A sad thing indeed...
Well done, Juliet.

Crafty Green Poet said...

thanks for all your comments.

This poem was inspired by reading about the mafia, the person in the last stanza isn't anyone specific, but could be any of several people in a sense, so twitches, no, the reader isn't meant to 'get the specific reference'...

Anonymous said...

full of a heavy, brooding unease... powerful stuff

Anonymous said...

the format bridges the two scenes of dying beautifully... from thousands to one... dying alone w/o notice or friends w/fanfare.. those are the images i see..