And so, after a very, very long time, here's one more trip down memory lane.
You could call this my coming-of-age poem. It was written in 1984 - I had just turned 20, was about to graduate, and my mind was churning with the accumulated impact of so many experiences - many of which I had found too hot to handle.
Surprisingly, I look at these lines in the context of the present day and realise, with a little surprise, that nothing has changed very much in the past 30 years. Electronics and digital worlds notwithstanding. a lot of my younger readers may have experienced these emotions themselves.
As always, please be kind if you are leaving feedback ! Thank you !
into building them up,
the short minutes they take
to come crashing down.
Thinking of animosity, that
impregnable steel barrier
that leads the rest of the world
to isolate a single individual
whom they cannot fully understand.
Thinking of words
spoken in jest, taken in seriousness
ugly rumours
that cause their victim to retreat
into an emotional prison
for the rest of his or her life.
Thinking of parents and the Establishment
Restrictions, refusals, castigation
Thinking of arguments, migraine-like headaches
foul language in raised voices
sharp stinging slaps
Thinking of blood pressure
scaling new heights
Electrocardiograms going crazy
one thing leading to another
sympathetic detonation…….
Wondering
at the fearsome power of the explosive
that sets the reaction off
Thinking of little girls
Giggling, squealing, irritating
Thinking of teenaged nymphets
in tight jeans
chewing gum
blowing bubbles
sprouting pimples
Thinking of women
long-haired, doe-eyed, soft voiced
Of more women
intelligent, self-centred, assured
Still more women
neurotic, uncertain, vulnerable
Wondering
just where the key is
that winds all of them
Thinking of pranks, blunders, indiscretions
smiling at the many moments
of acute embarrassment
fondly recollecting the first pangs
of puppy love
Thinking of childhood, and wet beds
of adolescence, and wet dreams
of adulthood, and wet pillows
Wondering
just what connects the beginning of one
to the end of another
Thinking of studies
Sheer desperation
mere hours before the exams
Long, silent nights
Gnawing headaches
Sticky eyelids
The ferocious heat of a powerful table lamp
The psychology of hot
black
bitter
coffee
Absorbing just so much, and no more
Wondering
just where it all is going to end
Thinking of the baser characteristics
of man
Of envy, that makes some conspire
to bring about the ruin
of one better than themselves
Of cowardice
that makes some turn tail and run
leaving a handful of hapless others
to face the tuneless music
Thinking of selfish people
who consider the welfare of
but one person in this world
Wondering
just what Dante would say of his own book
if he were here to say all this.
You could call this my coming-of-age poem. It was written in 1984 - I had just turned 20, was about to graduate, and my mind was churning with the accumulated impact of so many experiences - many of which I had found too hot to handle.
Surprisingly, I look at these lines in the context of the present day and realise, with a little surprise, that nothing has changed very much in the past 30 years. Electronics and digital worlds notwithstanding. a lot of my younger readers may have experienced these emotions themselves.
As always, please be kind if you are leaving feedback ! Thank you !
Thinking of relationships
The long hours that gointo building them up,
the short minutes they take
to come crashing down.
Thinking of animosity, that
impregnable steel barrier
that leads the rest of the world
to isolate a single individual
whom they cannot fully understand.
Thinking of words
spoken in jest, taken in seriousness
ugly rumours
that cause their victim to retreat
into an emotional prison
for the rest of his or her life.
Thinking of parents and the Establishment
Restrictions, refusals, castigation
Thinking of arguments, migraine-like headaches
foul language in raised voices
sharp stinging slaps
Thinking of blood pressure
scaling new heights
Electrocardiograms going crazy
one thing leading to another
sympathetic detonation…….
Wondering
at the fearsome power of the explosive
that sets the reaction off
Thinking of little girls
Giggling, squealing, irritating
Thinking of teenaged nymphets
in tight jeans
chewing gum
blowing bubbles
sprouting pimples
Thinking of women
long-haired, doe-eyed, soft voiced
Of more women
intelligent, self-centred, assured
Still more women
neurotic, uncertain, vulnerable
Wondering
just where the key is
that winds all of them
Thinking of pranks, blunders, indiscretions
smiling at the many moments
of acute embarrassment
fondly recollecting the first pangs
of puppy love
Thinking of childhood, and wet beds
of adolescence, and wet dreams
of adulthood, and wet pillows
Wondering
just what connects the beginning of one
to the end of another
Thinking of studies
Sheer desperation
mere hours before the exams
Long, silent nights
Gnawing headaches
Sticky eyelids
The ferocious heat of a powerful table lamp
The psychology of hot
black
bitter
coffee
Absorbing just so much, and no more
Wondering
just where it all is going to end
Thinking of the baser characteristics
of man
Of envy, that makes some conspire
to bring about the ruin
of one better than themselves
Of cowardice
that makes some turn tail and run
leaving a handful of hapless others
to face the tuneless music
Thinking of selfish people
who consider the welfare of
but one person in this world
Wondering
just what Dante would say of his own book
if he were here to say all this.
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