Sunday, January 16, 2011

The Challenge
What do they want?
What do they want?

My flesh torn. My blood drained. My heart strings straggled like cords around this seamless neck.
For what?
For what?

They deride me. The Graven One. The Fisheye in intemperance. He too derides me: The Paradox to the Human amalgam of time, of place, of self deception.
Go back to the old ways!
Go back to the old ways!

They declaim in bloggers prose. The disdain. In alluded reference of a city filmed, voice dropped, head lowered.
They want the past.
So they cry.

Go back to the old ways! To the lives of squalor. The Square Corner of earlier times. The pain of lost men. Of lonely dames. The Square Corner of a different place. The lucre of fame a distant dream. They want somnambulist souls crying in heartache and numbed sorrow. The drunken dead poet visited upon a yellow page. They want his presence.
Not the now!
Not the now!

It displeases us. Marshmallow roads with lemon drop tears. They stereotype. I know. Ignore the darkness of the present words. The ascendancy of followers, they say, has cheapened my true voice. No longer clarion in obscure echo, I call your names. I call you out:
The Graven One!
The Fisheye!
The Paradox of Humanity!

Prove it to Tortelli's name. No more roguish comment, please. No more snide reference, please.
Blog it!
Post it!

Be the men you claim to be.
Blog it!
Post it!

Let your views on me be known: The Square Corner one. You shall see the new old me. Your voices silent, and you shall hear this drowning sorrow. The Square Corner like an island sinking into a dark sea.

13 comments:

flaubert said...

So much I like about this, the strong voice, sadness, defiance.
This line is wonderful:
"You shall see the new old me."
Pamela

Eileen T O'Neill ..... said...

A real mix of emotions throughout this very strong poem.
I am only too pleased that you did indeed decide to Blog it and post it here!!

Best wishes, Eileen

signed...bkm said...

Yes, do keep blogging and posting...there is a calm in it..there is a completion in it...bring out that new old you...bkm

Brother Ollie said...

Ouch - the lads better watch it, bring, blog it and slog it!

Fisheye Lens said...

Long live the new old flesh!

Juice Box said...

I feel it man. Love this, keep on chugging.

Philip Thrift said...

Keep on Bloggin'!

Matt McKechnie said...

not sure i really understand the challenge. can you lay it out in prose form?

Kerry O'Connor said...

This is a very potent piece of poetic prose. You know how to express strong emotions in words.

Human Paradox said...

roguish comments? snide references? Never wanted SC's flesh torn. Never wanted SC's blood drained. Never wanted to deride ya. "Never wanted to be a pop singer. Never wanted to sing no pop song. Never wanted to have a manager over for dinner, never wanted to hang out after the show."

Anonymous said...

what a fabulous word flow.
powerful.

Anonymous said...

welcome sharing your poems with our poetry potluck today..


you got talent, keep it up.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

WOW, SQ!!!!!! what an eloquent treastise! Some remarkable lines in there - "the somnabulist souls crying in heartache and numbed sorrow" - "the drunken dead poet on a ... yellowed page" - "the Square Corner like an island sinking into a drowned sea". Brilliant writing! I am wowed.