Monday, April 26, 2010

They Say, Times 3

I.
They say,
Those who won't learn
the spirally past
are doomed to walk
its re-coiling paths
again, and I can't
argue with precedent.
I can point out,
my present and future
doubts, kneeling
down with guttersnipe
gifts and a candle
lit up to appease
history's stalking ghost.
What I really want
is to snuff it.

II.
They say,
This world's gotta date
marked expiry
and it's all set to go
sour with a big bang
or a small bust
out from the fridge
of twenty-twelve's
wintry chilling.
Lately, there have been
jumbo packs of weirdness
spilling onto
every last shelf,
but things got strange
long before the Mayans
began tying knots.

III.
They say,
you can take the brutish
and dress them up
natty, extolling
their hirsute
vices in basso
profundo voices
till we all queue
back to snatch them.
I've heard the jingle,
but I'm drawn instead
to wisdoms spoken
by officials
not officially
allowed to speak.
Their off-the-record's nice
and scratchy.

12 comments:

Jenny said...

"Their off-the-record's nice
and scratchy"

These lines are very appealing.

Great sounds and sharp observations. The short lines work well too. "They say" is an interesting expression in itself.

timmy said...

this is excellent, francis.

i recognized your
voice as soon as i started reading it.

The Scrybe said...

Really enjoyed this, another wonderful poem. And timmy is right, your voice is instantly recognisable. :)

Megan Duffy said...

"I can point out,
my present and future
doubts, kneeling
down with guttersnipe
gifts and a candle
lit up to appease
history's stalking ghost.
What I really want
is to snuff it."

Ah, great stuff, Francis. This was one cool read.

Ralph said...

Wow you must have an exciting mind of thoughts would love to share an ale with you . Thanks for another thought provoking post.

Francis Scudellari said...

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the nice feedback. And Ralph, sharing an ale would be fun.

Tommaso Gervasutti said...

I am very glad to have found this multi-layered intense poem, sublimely "scratchy".

Thank you for your comment in my blog.

AngelStar said...

francis of the twisting
voice, your rhythms
enchant...think,
on the brink
of solitude and sensual
path, alive

human being said...

wow!
this feels like a kind of drilling... with each line you are digging deeper in our consciousness... trying to open our eyes to things from a new perspective...


loved the tone... the form... and the irony...

"but things got strange
long before the Mayans
began tying knots"

loved this part a lot... i just liked to repeat it to myslef... both the meaning and the music are so beatiful...

really great work!

Anonymous said...

“They say,
Those who won't learn
the spirally past
are doomed to walk
its re-coiling paths”

This poem is wonderful. I think I always walk in recoiling paths. And I'm kind of happy doing this.

Francis Scudellari said...

Tommaso, Angel-Star, hb, and PO, Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed my mind's strange little journeys.

Anders Enochsson said...

“They say,
you can take the brutish
and dress them up
natty, extolling
their hirsute
vices in basso
profundo voices
till we all queue (…)”

This poem appealed to me on a deeply personal level.