Thread: Baby Haunts Her Corner (Adult Content)

For Cindy, Gumby to some. I cannot get your piece, Empty Hands, out of my mind. Lest our girls be forgotten.

Baby sports more prints
than bagged forties
passed 'round her corner.
Eyes never to see twenty,
reflect a century's
worth of torture.

Mater shared her habit
with busty preteen
in threadbare bra,
now every venous road
is run ragged
by spawned track star.

Cheeks peek
from beneath
a tiny denim tease,
when you wanna work,
advertising captures sleaze.
Daddy takes his share;
pink limo must be prime.
Gotta have a guardian
to keep the tricks in line.

Mama's a magician
who makes stuff disappear,
bags, bucks, and self esteem
vanish when she's near
"Can't sell my shriveled prune,
but you're still nice and ripe,
best pass that pipe on over
cuz it was me who gave you life."

Spoonfuls of sugar
amply sweeten the pot,
those lovely little nods
are all poor Baby's got
Despite stiletto wobble,
she's always in the game,
palming chips
from countless hands
'fore dawn dents
dark's bruised remains.

Ghost leans upon a lamppost,
glittered orbs drooping closed.
She slurs a seductive pricelist,
with her pretty ass exposed
and perceives the scent of pig
through a septum deprived nose.

Illuminated aluminum
declares Times Square,
but that's just for the tourists,
walking dead are well aware,
a blurred peer at the backside
bares Satan's Thoroughfare;

an avenue of excess
worn down to cobblestone,
sprinkled with spent syringes
and powdered babies' bones.

This one is just as striking as the first time I read it, Lisa. And you're right, these girls do get forgotten easily, or maybe just 'not seen'.

wow, some serious verse here - quite striking and vivid
actually I was aware which reading that there were many many allusions that went right past me, simply for my lack of exposure to this area of street life but...
the images and details and the manner of description, all put together, paint a very dramatic, and at times dismally sad, picture that achieves a real poignancy - nice job
---todd

I'm so sorry to you both, I'm just so far behind on everything.

Dear Cin, I'm glad this one still works for you, your Empty Hands really got to me and brought this one to mind. This one still haunts me.

Dear Todd, Thank you so much, but I really need to know if there is too much allusion. I tend forget that not everyone is exposed to this stuff and I don't want any of this one to be lost because I'm using too much lingo. Let me know when you get a chance, editing this would be a pain, getting it to work at all took forever, but if it has to be done for the sake of the message, I'm game. Truly appreciate your kind words, love.

Best always,
Lisa

Goslings crying, Angels weeping,...

Lisa, I think it's beautifully striking the way it is - the allusions and details add richness, and shouldn't be changed because they aren't immediately apparent to some - the meaning behind it all is very clear, don't change it : )
---todd

My mental jaw dropped when i came across this. A hundred red eyed streets blurred past in my recollection of my early twenties running down to Jimmy's for a sack of grass at two in the morning and seeing girls much younger than i haunting the corners with an air or absolute desolution. I would see them and hate everything that brought them there.

And I thought of my one year old little girl and trust me when i say a shiver hit when thoe worlds came together like they have never before. Fantastic piece. This puts so much established poetry to shame.

I also love love love lines like "Illuminated aluminum" when done well.