Wednesday, August 24, 2011

archiving life


i have been regulated
to archive life, scrapbook
family and friends - your face (as in life)
rarely shows up in photos, black & white
or otherwise

it was a Brownie camera
era when this one was clicked
a "Pepsi and a Double-Mint" time
from a now abandoned gas station

for you it appeared
a happier day, a moment of clarity
that never came - movement
that was not far enough away from this
by-passed hwy town - and Pepsi soon turned
to beer, beer to vodka - vodka into
mornings made up of party lines
until the party finally ended -

all that remains now
are windswept telephone poles, still
insulating old gossip - long after
i pasted you to the page

titled "Mother"...

bkmackenzie
copyrighted 2011


10 comments:

  1. Barbara, enjoyed this trip through the black and white years of younger life - I think that the small "i" has an additional effect because of this.

    Pedantic - "photos" not "photo's"?

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  2. thanks Gordon...you words and critique are always so welcome...bkm

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  3. Oh, BK, this broke my heart a bit.

    Was not expecting the Brownie camera to lead to the party finally ending. And the sadness of telephone phones buzzing to no one now.

    I am a bit hesitant to applaud such a brilliant piece due to the tragedy, but I do applaud you for saying so much here.

    xo

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  4. Thank you Jannie...my mother was not an alcoholic but she was mentally ill with an ending about the same...I have her photos and this prompt reminded me of an era with so many possiblities that were never tasted...bkm

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  5. dang...that last full stanza and the last line just ring with emotion bk...possibilities never tasted...shivers

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  6. you make this so real that i almost believe it. i can see this in some scrapbook and that is totally your mom. a little caption under with this poem on yellowed paper. dang your good

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  7. Damn, this is powerful. Brilliant and beautiful write.

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  8. Oooh, I like this! Of course, I'm a sucker for a mother poem. Write on!

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  9. Powerful. Excellent. Unexpected ending.

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