Friday, January 28, 2011
Big Tent : looking at pictures
daddy's hard earned dimes
by chiminetty
my daddy grows lean
waiting at the scrubbed table
waiting at the scrubbed table
he reads the comic section
of the new york american
where der gink mit der viskers
is pursued by dose two liddle sissages
dose smarties
it iss vunderful
early evening
and he rests at last
in the twilight
of someone else's labor
all hard muscles
his sweat warm and random
in the loose weave of his shirt
waiting for the oven to bloom
with biscuits
my mother
superimposed on the edge
of his evening's rest
watches the bright horns
of the moon prick the horizon
and one by one the stars
write what they have seen
one by one they drop their
wide circles into her apron pocket
like daddy's hard earned dimes
spit-shined
turning the night silver
the biscuits are hot
the butter unwrinkles its
gold tongues down their brown skins
he reads
if I didn't belief it
I couldn't see it
let's go out for a row on der lake
liebchen
chass
und let us go qvickly
it iss vunderful
(My Dad at work)
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9 comments:
This is wonderful! Love it! The description of the interaction between dad and the world he lives in is so perfect! Such a slice of life!
My goodness, this is the real stuff. If I were a quarterly this would probably fit in it. I would fit it in. Or I would be in heartache that it didn't fit and I would write you one of those letters trying to get you to submit again.
Beautiful, Joyce. So simply phrased, but shining bright and clear. A real triumph.
I love this! I especially like
"one by one the starswrite what they have seen
one by one they drop their
wide circles into her apron pocket
like daddy's hard earned dimes"
~laurie
Joyce I love the use of language in this piece. This is wonderful.
Pamela
Thank you all for coming by! Happy you liked my stuff. :D
Beautiful, how those dines and biscuits & butter reflect the moon, the love, the language so real.
ah, those old Sunday comics. such mysteries for someone who never heard a foreign language spoken.
Joyce,
I was about to leave a note naming you my favorite poet then thought I would take a look at the next post, whatever that might be. So surprised to find my painting there. Beautiful poem also, and it suits the work, fitting it well. But the poem about you dad is truly marvelous, truly a standout piece of writing.
Much love,
Rick
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