The BlueIris Semi-Nightly Poetry Break, 3/13/08

[BlueIris]

"My Dead Friends"

I have begun,
when I'm weary and can't decide an answer to a bewildering question

to ask my dead friends for their opinion
and the answer is often immediate and clear.

Should I take the job? Move to the city? Should I try to conceive a child
in my middle age?

They stand in unison shaking their heads and smiling—whatever
leads to joy, they always answer,

to more life and less worry. I look into the vase where Billy's ashes were—
it’s green in there, a green vase,

and I ask Billy if I should return the difficult phone call, and he says yes.
Billy’s already gone through the frightening door,

whatever he says, I'll do.

—Marie Howe

[BlueIris]

1. Kick.

[Westegg]

2. Wonderful. I should take this poet's advice...

..."it's green in there, a green vase"...A perfect line. Perfect.

And now I get to post the Dylan Thomas poem that's been in my head the whole of this last week. Why, I know not. Thinking of the dead, obviously. Some more than others!

"And death shall have no dominion.
Dead mean naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clen bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.

And death shall have no dominion.
Under the windings of the sea
They lying long shall not die windily;
Twisting on racks when sinews give way,
Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break;
Faith in their hands shall snap in two,
And the unicorn evils run them through;
Split all ends up they shan't crack;
And death shall have no dominion.

And death shall have no dominion.
No more may gulls cry at their ears
Or waves break loud on the seashores;
Where blew a flower may a flower no more
Lift its head to the blows of the rain;
Through they be mad and dead as nails,
Heads of the characters hammer through daisies;
Break in the sun till the sun breaks down,
And death shall have no dominion."

[BlueIris]

3. I love me some Dylan Thomas.

He's tasty.

[Westegg]

4. Dead younger than I am now...

...Hell, I don't know why I'm on this death-trip. A passing phase. Tomorrow I'll be all sun and roses.

Or arsenic and old lace. Time will tell.