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Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

No Phoenix

image by R.A.D. Stainforth
Midnight.
Like slo-mo windshield wipers,
clock hands sweep clean the face
for another day,
another year.
Your face
still wears yesterday's sins,
last year's tears.
No one for you to kiss
when the clock strikes,
so you leave your lipstick
on the cigarette butts
and kiss another bottle of wine goodnight.
You tell yourself
that this year will be different,
but you awake
to Big Ben clanging in your skull
and an overflowing ashtray.
You are no Phoenix;
nothing will rise from these ashes. 

submitted for The Mag, Mag149 

13 comments:

Fireblossom said...

"kiss another bottle of wine goodnight"...that's gross and sad and really well expressed, all at the same time.

Brian Miller said...

the sad repetition of life for some...telling themselves it will be different but unwilling to let life change...

Helen said...

You know ... this fits perfectly with my New Year celebration ... alone. By my choice though, so all was fine!
Happy New Year Mouse!!!!

Wayne Pitchko said...

nicely done indeed..thanks for sharing....and have a great NY

Ella said...

Well done.....
yes, that kiss says it all~
You expressed this so well~

Happy New Year Miss Mouse ;D

Kerry O'Connor said...

As the core of your poem, these lines do a fantastic job of focusing your theme with all senses firing:

No one for you to kiss
when the clock strikes,
so you leave your lipstick
on the cigarette butts
and kiss another bottle of wine goodnight.

M. A. S. said...

You have outdone yourself. This is one of my very favorites. I tried to find something particular that stands out, but I love the whole thing.

Theresa Milstein said...

Love the Phoenix from the ashes part at the end. This is like a companion to the MagPie I wrote.

Maurice Lauher said...

I can see the bright red lipstick against the monotone New Year's Eve - great poem -thanks for sharing

Frances Garrood said...

I really like this!

Rachel Hoyt said...

Very powerful poem! Wine and cigarettes seem comforting at the time, but breaking free of that habit would be such a great change...

Jinksy said...

Strong words paint a sad picture.♥

Tess Kincaid said...

I especially like "your face still wears yesterday's sins"...powerful line, Mouse...