The Streetlight at the End of 42nd

Cherry

By HaiAnh

Fri, 17 Oct 2008
  • 909 reads
1 comments
 

The Streetlight at the End of 42nd
After Hopper

Restless, I have seen that look before.
There is some midnight plane mocking her
as she folds arms around herself, crab-like, an unmade shore,

sat as a sunbather suddenly remembering what’s in front
of her, streetlamp light, pumpkin-yellow,
pooling in the sheets.

Sure, I know it well.
She is tilting her ear to the worn
pebble vowels of a drunken street song,

trying to stay away from the thought of her head
slumped to the bottom, hair spread, swaying
kelp-like, in an old bathtub.

Yes of course, why have a window
wide open in winter with no intention?
If she wasn’t going, she would lay back, rest.

Certificate U
Poem
Safety goggles must be worn at all times
Miscellaneous

Comments

Submitted by Ewan on
I'm sure this is no help at all, but I liked the shape of this on the virtual page, so in that odd way I suppose some additional ekphrasis is in play. I love Hopper, the underside of Middle-America; an antidote for Rockwell, if you like. There are some lovely images in this: stanzas two and three were particularly fine. Worn pebble-vowels (should be worn-pebble vowels???)is excellent. Nice poem. Ewan

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