“Lady Street Jesus” is the last of 3 poems that were originally published in The Furious Gazelle. If you haven’t yet checked out TFG, I highly recommend you do, and if submitting writing is your thing, definitely think about submitting to them.
If you would like to read all 3 of my poems in TFG, you can do so here. If you want to subscribe to my YouTube channel, you can do so here. And, please check out my website, designed so beautifully by my husband, Joe.
My energy is pretty zapped right now, my thoughts consumed with what is happening to my father. I feel sad and emotional. I feel so grateful for all of the kindness I receive here, and for the amazing writing that I get to lose myself in. But, right now, I am not reading much and certainly not writing much. I feel like a stone, slowly sinking as everything goes dark. I will get through this. I will meet the challenges that face me.
In the meantime, I have the last two poems from The Furious Gazelle recorded and will share those. In advance, I am sorry to post and run.
Flush
Lurking behind the thin
stained metal of a bathroom stall,
brazen and breathing gravel,
she waits for an audience.
I open the door to a greeting
that crackles with delight,
but the smell of her misery
crowds the room.
She steps elegantly from
behind the tin curtain and
bows to her reflection in the mirror.
Her hair is tangled and covered with despair.
She is searching for a song
that died with the starlets of Ragtime.
Lips that drip fire grasp at words
falling through blisters and cracks.
Her nose seeps with determination.
She smudges blood across her teeth
with a tremoring hand, burps,
and flushes herself down the toilet.
This will be my last post before I turn 50, and honestly, I may have the kind of hangover that takes a few days to recover from, so this may be my last post for a week or so. I am still undecided what the celebrations will look like. That said….
I am continuing my recorded poetry series today with a poem that was originally published in The Furious Gazelle. The Furious Gazelle is a super cool and eclectic journal, with editors whose artistic sensibilities have range, depth and flare. “Gold Lame'” is the first of three poems I was lucky to have published with them, along with a couple of essays.
My range as a writer may not be very expansive; I tend to write about just a few things. But, one of those things is my city, and in my city lives a wealth of characters to write about. All three of the poems in The Furious Gazelle were inspired by Hollywood…the real Hollywood.
Gold Lame’
Toothless ladies reign
over my Hollywood neighborhood,
holding court on street corners.
Gold lame’ and a slash of red lips,
she flicks you away like filth off skin
and barricades you from the
wreckage of her fortress.
She sits on a throne of fading glamour
and keeps watch over the tumble of
ravaged relics that house her memories.
She came to the city to be gild
and slathered in star light,
but settled for a crown of tin with
rubies made of glass.
I have been blank lately, the poet who can’t seem to write any new poems. It is incredible how much weight fills up the blank space, how I feel it not only in my mind, but through my limbs and on my skin. That said, I decided to stretch my legs, go to my usual hiking spot, hopefully leave my head behind. Continue reading “Hiking, Hollywood Style”
I was tagged a few days ago to participate in the black and white photo challenge by Grace, the creator of MS Graceful…NOT If you aren’t familiar with Grace, go and check out her blog, and meet a woman who is strong as hell, funny, kind, talented and can swear with the best of them. I am honored that she is my friend!
You know there are always rules to everything in life! The rules for this are straightforward. Seven days. Seven black and white photos of your life. No people. No explanation. Challenge someone new each day (Participate if you feel compelled to do so).
I was tagged a few days ago to participate in the black and white photo challenge by Grace, the creator of MS Graceful…NOT If you aren’t familiar with Grace, go and check out her blog, and meet a woman who is strong as hell, funny, kind, talented and can swear with the best of them. I am honored that she is my friend!
You know there are always rules to everything in life! The rules for this are straightforward. Seven days. Seven black and white photos of your life. No people. No explanation. Challenge someone new each day (Participate if you feel compelled to do so).
I was tagged a few days ago to participate in the black and white photo challenge by Grace, the creator of MS Graceful…NOT If you aren’t familiar with Grace, go and check out her blog, and meet a woman who is strong as hell, funny, kind, talented and can swear with the best of them. I am honored that she is my friend!
You know there are always rules to everything in life! The rules for this are straightforward. Seven days. Seven black and white photos of your life. No people. No explanation. Challenge someone new each day (Participate if you feel compelled to do so).
I was tagged a few days ago to participate in the black and white photo challenge by Grace, the creator of MS Graceful…NOT If you aren’t familiar with Grace, go and check out her blog, and meet a woman who is strong as hell, funny, kind, talented and can swear with the best of them. I am honored that she is my friend!
You know there are always rules to everything in life! The rules for this are straightforward. Seven days. Seven black and white photos of your life. No people. No explanation. Challenge someone new each day (Participate if you feel compelled to do so).
I was tagged a few days ago to participate in the black and white photo challenge by Grace, the creator of MS Graceful…NOT If you aren’t familiar with Grace, go and check out her blog, and meet a woman who is strong as hell, funny, kind, talented and can swear with the best of them. I am honored that she is my friend!
You know there are always rules to everything in life! The rules for this are straightforward. Seven days. Seven black and white photos of your life. No people. No explanation. Challenge someone new each day (Participate if you feel compelled to do so).
