tabula rasa
“tabula rasa”
all the same
calm before the storm.
drinking from
absinthe flowers,
watching colors
disassociate from linnaean
classification &
mocking everything
from a distance of thought
that might be miles
wide.
now, i ain’t duck-
walking or anything like
that. there’s deprecating logic;
instead i just laugh
at old scars thrown over
wounds like blankets.
just old jokes really, a
muffled voice tryin’
like hell to tell
a story nboody
wants to hear.
nothing true can
ever be kept quiet. my smile
slips into an unknown number
of accidental revelations.
time will never be
this easy to steal
again, hand-me-
down-stories of
an indolent thief giving
away his rewards make
rounds faster than i could.
confidence won’t
be a problem. holding
so close to the vest
brings the curious onlooker
forward to see, even
without any linga franca. no
desire to save or
take sides on some
fucked up rationalization
regarding how this
world ‘should’ work.
it ain’t my department.
gears grind & i
oil them. lips
tingle as answers dissolve
& enzymes begin
working magic. two
years ago, i helped pick
the man in charge;
that’s all the damage
i’m gonnna do. now on,
it’s languid acceptance
of what i see.
more ‘n enough
anyway I weigh out,
ahead in the end.
This entry was posted on December 1, 2010 at 5:49 pm and is filed under bumper sticker stories, Fear, Friendship, Philosophy, Poetry, Politics with tags bumper sticker stories, Fear, Friendship, Philosophy, Poetry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
December 1, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Your wizard must be the boss of all wizards, whatever came across your road these past 2 days and inspired you …keep it! Lovely!
tryin’
like hell to tell
a story nobody
wants to hear… I’m sure many will …
December 1, 2010 at 8:13 pm
You are too kind! My wizard (hehehehe) has indeed been busy as I have a bunch more ideas for poems still waiting to be written, but luckily for me I have time tonight & tomorrow night to do some real writing. Hope your day is going well, take it easy! Loved your most recent poem as well,
crb.
December 2, 2010 at 1:14 am
Waiting for the new stuff to read, thanks for the feedback on scribbles. All ok here, hope goes the same to you!
December 1, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Two very different wonderful works in one day! Great title – needed to look this up for more complete information about it. Thought a couple of your descriptions were brilliant in this poem. In stanza 1 – “drinking from absinthe flowers, watching colors disassociate from linnaean classification” etc. and in stanza 5 “lips tingle as answers dissolve & enzymes begin working magic”. In stanza 2 – “Now, I ain’t duck walking” – I’m envisioning you as a duck walking, a plump bottom waddling back and forth as you move along on your webbed feet – no disrespect meant as to your posterior, just a cute image comes to mind!
December 1, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Again, very glad you liked it. The title came to me as an expression of starting each day over without the benefit nor the barriers of yesterday. I have been daydreaming a lot about my place in the world at large and this was one of several poems to come out of the experience.
As to the duck walking, that is too funny! Wish I had thought of that image and integrated some more of it into the poem. Perhaps I should thank you for giving me something to think about and turn into another poem.
Thanks kindly for your compliments & for the loan of your eyeballs. As always, much appreciated. Duck walk into the evening and enjoy whatever remains of it!
crb.
December 1, 2010 at 10:15 pm
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December 1, 2010 at 10:16 pm
[…] Caribbeanfool:https://caribbeanfool.wordpress.com/2010/12/01/tabula-rasa/ […]
December 2, 2010 at 12:07 am
You’ve got a way of saying so much, provoking such deep thought in one’s mind. I often come here not knowing what to say because there is so much that I want to say about what you’ve written.
“nothing true can
ever be kept quiet. my smile
slips into an unknown number
of accidental revelations.
time will never be
this easy to steal
again, hand-me-
down-stories of
an indolent thief giving
away his rewards make
rounds faster than i could.”
Loved that verse the most.
December 3, 2010 at 1:41 am
Much appreciated; this was definitely one of those poems that changed several times through the editing process until the correct theme emerged from hiding. I totally owe you a visit duder; tomorrow’s job is to make the rounds. It has been a crazy couple of days, hope all is going smoothly in your neck of the woods!
crb.
December 2, 2010 at 12:46 am
nothing true can
ever be kept quiet..
hell yessssss
I got so lost thinking after reading that i forgot to post a comment.. 😛
What you have written is the ugly reality, no one wants to talk about.. that bit is true!
Keep writing My Friend.. xox
December 2, 2010 at 7:19 am
Thanks Olivia, I appreciate the support! I also owe you a visit to your blog to see how things are going in your neck of the woods. Always good to hear from you, and congrats on NaNorimo! That is an awesome accomplishment, very impressive. Talk to you soon,
crb.
December 2, 2010 at 2:18 am
I was so so amazed to read this.. amazed ’cause i had the same feelings last night but wasn’t able to pen .. thank you for writing this !
December 2, 2010 at 7:39 am
Well, always glad to please! You should give it a go writing it out, I would love to see your take on the subject. Best of luck, and let me know if you decide to post your ideas. Thanks again,
crb.
December 2, 2010 at 5:17 am
Such a wonderful flow of words.expression and imagery.
Anita.
http://anitaspoetry.blogspot.com/2010/12/yet-to-be.html
December 2, 2010 at 6:06 am
the title reminded me of a game I used to play
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabula_Rasa_(video_game)
and coming back to the poem, it is wonderfully written :)~ I am especially loving this stanza
confidence won’t
be a problem. holding
so close to the vest
brings the curious onlooker
forward to see, even
without any linga franca. no
desire to save or
take sides on some
fucked up rationalization
regarding how this
world ‘should’ work.
it works all way round i guess
December 2, 2010 at 7:50 am
Funny, we both had that same favorite stanza. Thinking along the lines of the poem, it is all about being given the chance for a restart, something that can seem as close to winning the lottery without any of the millions of dollars to get in the way of enlightenment…. lol! Thanks for the kind thoughts, will be over your way to do some reading later today. Take care,
crb.
December 2, 2010 at 8:28 am
powerful imagery,
magical writing….
Thanks for sharing it with poets rally.
December 2, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Jingle… great to hear from you as always. Hope all is well in your corner of the world, and thanks for stopping by.
crb
December 2, 2010 at 2:15 pm
2 years ago you chose the person in charge. Not happy with your vote now that ‘here is the new leader just like the old leader’.
People so often divide things by party lines when really its all about money. No matter what party you vote in, it’s going to be pretty much the same.
Sorry, that’s just a little bit of jaded cynicism. I don’t believe it has to be that way. I just think people more often then not don’t care.
Anyway, thanks for sharing. Your poem obviously has me thinking.
December 2, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Actually, I think we are on the same level. Yes, I am unhappy with the direction the new guy has taken, but one IS the same as another when it comes to politicians. The only country in the world that isn’t kow-towing to the banksters is Iceland, and wouldn’t you know it, they are the only ones beginning to crawl out from the malaise.
As for being cynical, don’t apologize. Who isn’t cynical these days? Not a whole lot of trust going on in the world right now.
That aside, thanks for reading and for the compliment. Take it easy,
crb.
December 2, 2010 at 9:24 pm
i like this…”blank slate” hm?? very interesting. The third stanza is my particular most favorite 🙂
December 3, 2010 at 1:27 am
Glad ya dug it, and always good to hear from you. Hope all is well, and catch ya later,
crb.
December 3, 2010 at 12:16 am
Exceptionally nice one–like it all but have to say the lines about colors disassociating from and mocking linnaean classification grabbed me, as well as “my smile/slips into an unknown number/of accidental revelations.’ that’s poetry, man. Also along with Fyodor above, I’m with you on the way things have gone–such a sweet rocket when it went up, and now such a smoky fizzle…but what goes around comes around, and karma, as they say, is a notorious bitch, so it may all come right in the end.
December 3, 2010 at 1:33 am
Totally agreed on all fronts. Thanks for the compliments, that is quite kind of you. Nothing like writing something that finds a connection with readers; makes me feel like I am making progress as a writer, and who can ask for more?
What was it that Benjamin Linus said to John Locke? “If you mean time-traveling bunnies, then yes.”
lol, Thanks again for reading and let us hope it does come right in the end.
crb.
December 4, 2010 at 1:32 am
Another great rally entry. I know there’s a political angle to the piece that I should be commenting on, but I must admit I got hung up on the “duck-walking” bit–loved the imagery you created there. Thanks for sharing!
December 5, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Well, thanks much for reading! I always appreciate the comments, and it is great to hear from new readers and hear what they have to say. Thanks again for reading,
crb.
December 5, 2010 at 5:28 am
Great poem! I really enjoyed you honest frustration and power that came through here! Fantastic work!
To return the favour, if you want, here’s the link: http://thoughtunchained.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/red-planet-writer/
December 5, 2010 at 5:44 pm
If there is anything I love about poetry, it is the inclusion of all facets of the human condition, frustration & such included. I will be glad to check out your poem and will do so later today. Thanks much for the visit,
crb.
December 11, 2010 at 2:39 pm
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December 13, 2010 at 1:47 pm
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