the saxophone and itzhak perlman–dVerse Poetics II

Artist: Cindy McTee

the saxophone and itzhak perlman

counterpoint!

 

that blues brother’s guy plays an alto sax while
itzhak slides his bow across medusa’s snakes
playing “(black) swan lake.

 

pas de deux

 

hansel, wearing tights too tight
(he really shouldn’t)
dances the nutcracker—sweet
gingerbread, tries to lure that
dragon-lady, ice-queen, witch away
from the oven before gretel becomes toast!

2/2/cut time

poe’s raven caws “nevermore, nevermore”
to the half-time beat of the metronome
while that crazy old dude in the third
row back, center seat can’t stop clapping.

game point

then my wife, the old bat, comes in
waving last night’s empty bottle of vodka
screeching
“i told you so, bacchus, you ass.”

checkpoint!

Photo: Jim Varney

My second response to the dVerse Poetics prompt for story-telling. There are a few of the cues in this one: a dragon, a bat, a greek god, a black swan, a nutcracker, a man who can’t stop clapping, a bluesmen playing a saxophone, Hansel and Gretel, the Icequeen, an old liquor bottle, a raven and a metronome.

I hope you will visit us at dVerse Poetics and also check out my other poem, posted earlier.

Craving

This poem is a response to two previous prompts at dVerse: Anna Montgromery’s Meeting the Bar on experimental poetry and Claudia Schonfeld’s Poetics on food. I wrote it a while back, using a technique I turn to occasionally when in a writing drought. The idea is to take a dictionary and choose 10-20 words at random, words that appeal to you based on both sound and meaning, then use as many as you can, adding the fewest number of other words possible.

Image: Kamil Honisch via Google Images

Craving

Mangoes dance adagio
on slivers of dreams that float
solitary
in the periwinkle wilderness.

Flushed mussels nest
beside curling wisps of smoke
where tongues pluck nectar.

Writhing slices of apple pie
burn urgency.
Remember to wink,
mulling fantasies,
while you knit.

Linking today at dVerse Open Link Night, hosted by Joe Hesch. Please join us for some amazing poetic talent. For a while, I’m having to limit my time at the computer because of some (inconvenient, not serious) health issues…so please understand if my comments are sparse. I will read as many as possible, however…always those who visit me. Thanks, fellow poets.