The Haunt Collector
A bit of a skull's snipped sonata,
notes hemorrhaged in saffron and gold,
starved ribs on a pumpkin piñata,
carved smile where the next loss unfolds;
carved smile where the next loss unfolds;
in a basket, the wheel'd sigh of summer
broken down to a cracked clod of clay;
all these and more I've put in store,
dry wood for the auto-da-fe.
~October 2015
posted for real toads
O Fortuna! indeed...
Image: Mischief Night, 1986, by Jamie Wyeth fair use via wikiart.org
Oh.....really liked the concept driving the piece and the images you make old and new again. Smart, stunning. Short. Viva la!
ReplyDeleteha.
ReplyDeletesounds like its going to be a rather raucous time.
what an interesting picture too. the last sigh of summer
is dragging itself out the door.
Fantastic, great rhyme and meter, and the wonderful thing is that the images actually work--can be followed through--don't just sound good. I especially like the carved smile next loss and the wheel of summer--becoming the clods of clay. Well, the auto da fe is pretty funny--especially combined with the stored up harvest somehow--take care--my life still not very open. k.
ReplyDeleteThis is like a work of art in miniature. Perfect for the month of October (in your parts). I love the nuances of Autumn, and pumpkin time.
ReplyDeleteSomehow I feel dia de muerte in this.. the pinata, the pumpkin.. there is just the right darkness for autumn in this.. I just wished I could have found that image on wikiart.. but I think Carl Orff brings darkness as well as joy to me when I listen.
ReplyDeleteI love the whole thing, but that third line in particular. Could Kerry have chosen a piece of music more suited to what you write?!?
ReplyDeleteDamn it, I wish that I had written this! Flawless crawling of the flesh.
ReplyDeleteThe rhythm is awesome! I enjoyed this Hedge!
ReplyDeleteI do love when you write them scary... Yes, it does mean that I love them all.
ReplyDeleteI read this over and over, and felt the need to jump around the room... perhaps, chanting it. Once the madness was subdued, I wondered, who's speaking? And is s/he for or against the "auto-da-fe"? In my mind, the answer can mean the difference between hope and despair.
El dia de los muertos is in the air...
All that sacrifice for a show of public faith, but the items seem to have run their course of usefulness, so is it a sacrifice or just a show? Intriguing work.
ReplyDeleteKeep them secret, don't get caught!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all love the art and your words are perfect for the season. I love the whole piece, but this really stands out for me,"starved ribs on a pumpkin piñata, carved smile where the next loss unfolds"
ReplyDeleteA regular witches brew, a little dry but perfect for an auto-da-fe with alliteration that pops and hisses as the meter drums the entry of Frights, Haunts, Tricks and Fire.
ReplyDeleteThis has the carved perfection of a jack-o-lantern, and burns appropriately so. Your buddy Wally Stevens is applauding from the fun side. "Auto-de-fe" is rhythmically and sonorously perfect, though for me it is just a note too obscure. Maybe that last "the" s/b "death's" or the like? I pick at greatness, though, I am not worthy, I am not etc.
ReplyDeleteTurnabout is fair play, surely. ;_) The pitfall of editing--especially 126 words down to 55-- is that sometimes you become a trifle obscure. 'The' was originally 'my,' if that helps--it does chime with your 'death' tho here it is the more emotional kind.
Deletedroll with a measure of macabre; pleasing; wry. yours is the first poem I've read in weeks and I'm glad it's so... ~
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm very pleased to have it here for you--after being so dry for so long, my muse is cavorting in the autumn haze, and making me run to keep up with her. I so appreciate your comments, and the time it takes to go back and catch up on so many poems. Thank you.
Delete