Thursday 16 June 2011

Café Au Too Late



**Since this poem is a little confusing, well the format anyhow, to some, I'll try to explain the concept of it.   It's actually about the same woman who has flashbacks to her youth, where she was bullied.  The regular font speaks of her meantime circumstances, whereas the italics speak of her childhood misery. And, of course, the scene is set in a burger-bar & cafe. Hope this helps...!**


Whipping downwards, I watched, the cream in the coffee, swirling and stirring around
I never looked over at the table next to me, not a singular whisper or sound

I did love you so much in all kinds of manners, of course I accepted your choice
A girl knocked her drink, felt the splashes on my cheek, she yelped with a lash to her voice

Complications in living, a struggle to manage, we were happy to face them as one
A squirt shot from the sachet, a barbeque sauce stain, and reason for them to poke fun

You told me we'd go on complete in our unity,  always - and then your heart froze
The boy let out laughter and threw a straw at me, I suppose that's the way that it goes

Can it be that I'm loveless, a patch not quite able, to mend as the tear rips along
Pushed my back as I walked to the toilets to wash up, I'd be welling up here before long

Empty rooms and our savings, divided belongings, bin bags that carry a tale
Head hanging down, hair that covered my red face, sighing hard to no avail

Making waves and emotions, back to the mentions of singular guidances now
Far too scared to tell tales to the teachers or mothers, just continue to mop my own brow

Leaning over my coffee pot, I saw her crying, the jibers now running away
Sidled along, let the girl sit next to me, for we knew where our own heartaches lay
      ************************************************************************
So, what's here then....?

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Firstly, a very clever title, it bought a smile to my eye.
An odd poem, though not in a bad way. The two seperate threds running through, intertwined together. I honestly don't know what to make of it, though I think I like it.
The Lonely Recluse.

Audrey said...

I really like the setup and lyricism of this poem! And yes, I will look up your son's band because you were so polite about it.

Henry Clemmons said...

A kool piece 3 ways. I read it first the way you wrote it, then I read just the regular lines, and then just the lines in Italic. I enjoyed it anyway :)

MaDesa said...

I enjoyed reading this piece!Great job!

Jingle said...

heartfelt words.

the last line, do you mean we knew, instead of we new....

smiles.
Happy Rally.

$unshine of the Moon said...

oh what a surprising write......loved the way the poem(s) read and loved the title :)

Helena said...

Thank you all very much. I've added a little 'prologue' to this poem to help determine its manner.

...and Jingle, yes, I did mean 'knew' thanks for pointing it out to me. I have since corrected it. Actually, I've always had a badge on my sidebar to help cover any such wordy-blips that may arise....lol

Stafford Ray said...

It worked for me.
So good that the older and wiser (and touger) one embraced the younger self as we must all do to reconcile our past fears and mistakes. Good stuff.

Helena said...

Ahhhh! Bless your little cotton ones, Stafford.

Anonymous said...

Very thoughtful and cleverly put together. Love the title and a very touching story behind it!

Anonymous said...

Very thoughtful and cleverly put together. Love the title and a very touching story behind it!

Anonymous said...

Loved it. I'm a sucker for interwoven narratives. Might have to try out this style some time.

Anonymous said...

Very clever poem I very much enjoy the two perspectives

Helena White said...

Clever and crafty prose...I enjoyed this form. Thanks so much for visitng my blog.

Sweet Lily said...

Thanks for sharing, that's wonderful!

Helena said...

Bunches of thank you's indeedy!

Ginny Brannan said...

A very interesting piece. I think the painful memories of our youth can serve to make us more sensitive and empathetic to the pain of others in our adulthood, but also can flood back and overwhelm us with that feeling of helplessness again, especially when going through dark times in our lives. I love how your last two lines join the adult woman with the young girl she once was, brought together by the heartache of the moment. This was a very nicely written, poignant piece.

Jack Edwards Poetry said...

Great poem with an inspiring structure.

A Daft Scots Lass said...

Clever title

aynsley7 said...

Very cool idea!
Good work!

sweet pea. said...

thanks for visiting,
and for the comment =)