Forecast: dusk till dawn
Yes, pour a round for the table...
It is decadent to the taste.
We are rocking back and forth
Our glasses clinking together
Intoxicated with the promise of more
The twinkle in our eyes suggests
We know something we shouldn't
Another verse?
Sure, one more for the road
Then I'm headed home
But it’s no use
I'm driving under the influence
Of Rhyme and Coke
My steps are stumbling
Or maybe everyone else is crooked
I see colors no one else can see
And the roses stop to smell me
My words are blurring together
And I think, Icouldstaylikethisforever
But every now and then I go too far
And wind up on the floor
Composition book still clutched in my hand
I am split in half and can no longer walk
Another piece?
It is here when I am about to descend
into a deep sleep
Deadly and sweet
The kind you never want to end,
that I find my feet
And say no. No more.
Until next weekend...
I particularly like 'Rhyme and Coke' and 'the roses stop to smell me'. And oh my, you take me back to my misspent youth!
ReplyDeleteAs I always say, the only misspent youth is youth never spent at all. Thank you.
DeleteSure, hope can intoxicate with the promise of more. But driving under the influence of hope is not a bad thing as long as one doesn’t stay forever under it. This is a lovely piece, Naledi. It captures something of a youth I used to know. :D
ReplyDeletep.s. I take it from your name that you are my homegirl; South African. I could do with a little bit more of that sunshine you promise. :) Anyway, so pleased to connect with you here!
Thank you so much, very well said ❤️
DeleteHi homegirl! I realized this but I left room for the possibility that your parents just loved the name. I'll do my best to deliver as advertised.
wow, loved this! i know this feeling, i love it when i read or hear a poem that make me jump out of my chair and scream "i want to live!" or i read sometthing and then find myself just wandering around the room geeking out over it. you express that feeling very well in this poem. nicely done. i really liked these lines:
ReplyDelete"My steps are stumbling
Or maybe everyone else is crooked
I see colors no one else can see
And the roses stop to smell me "
Thank you so much! ❤️ It is quite a heady and intoxicating feeling. It's my pleasure to drink with you...cheers!
DeleteGosh this is so good.
ReplyDeleteHappy you dropped by my blog today
Much❤love
Thank you so much ❤️ you're a joy
DeleteRhyme and coke
ReplyDeleteRoses stopping to smell you
You and Fellini would have hit it off like an Italian house on fire:) Good one.
Oh my... I do like the sound of that. So much I translated "Italian house on fire", it would be Casa italiana in fiamme. Thank you for stopping by ❤️
DeleteWell, this was a pleasant ramble. I wasn't sure it was just rhyme in your coke, but I enjoyed every line!
ReplyDeleteDarn it, wouldn't be the first time someone spiked the poetry bowl... Thank you.
DeleteThis is a pure delight of a poem!!!! More, More ....
ReplyDeleteThank you thank you ❤️
DeleteA poetry pub fest! Drink them up!
ReplyDeleteI'll drink to that!
DeleteThis is such a delicious read. I found myself needing to read it aloud and pretty much dancing to the rhythm. I love the circular structure, the way we end the reading knowing that there will be more... eventually.
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you, I am tipsy as we speak ❤️
Delete". . . under the influence Of Rhyme and Coke . . . , " some of us married folk get accursed of this by our spouses. Just one more poem to write and I'll be done (for the day). I like the way you played this out until your bedtime.
ReplyDeleteBTW, we were in South Africa for a few days in January, 2020, after our cruise that ended in Cape Town. It is a beautiful country and we saw a lot of scenery. I was surprised by the Penguins at the beach though they weren't new to us. Our Texas neighbors were born in South Africa, their mother still lives there.
..
I noticed the way we speak at times "ooh, a 1965 Mary Oliver...aged to perfection". Thank you so much.
DeleteAh, it is a beautiful place. Though it's a lot to take in at once...or twice...or the rest of your life.
" pour a round for the table... "
ReplyDelete"Icouldstaylikethisforever"
ah, brings me back to my wayward days..
enjoyed the poem. :)
Thank you. Doing my best to spike your punch bowl with poetry I stole from my mother's collection.
DeleteEnjoyed this one. I hope the roses stop to savor it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I love that. "stop and smell the humans" as the roses say.
Delete