Friday, August 22, 2008

slap it down

flop a word
drop a flow
flail and flounder

fucking slap it down

if you don't find the rhythm
listen to
the woo-woo of a train
marching toward you
and race it
like you're trying hard
to orgasm

and you slap it down

if the words don't come
find them in the tiny wires
of a light-bulb

flip it like a lightswitch
flick it like a lighter
and the bonfire (or the small blaze)
goes out
again

blow on it
pluck it from the ashes
and relight that
one
small
glow

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

strong rhythm here, Holly. I liked it.

Anonymous said...

I've been trying to write lately and it has been like a lighter that keeps going out. This is wonderful work. I love the way you use variations of these three beats that show up so forcefully at the end.

holly said...

Thanks Nathan...I was kind of pissed when I wrote it because I was having a time like that...this was like one of those "screw-it" moments...like, I gotta get off this computer, whatever, damn, kind of moments.

Anonymous said...

Oh, yeah! I know where you're coming from. And I echo everyone else in saying the rhythm is excellent. It feels like a fist pounding on a desk, which is the frustration we often feel when writing.

Anna said...

This particular poem is inspirational to me, a person who usually cherishes her writer's block. Very nice.

holly said...

you're a trip, anna!