cyclamen numbers

window grins, black and liquid with snowy night,
throwing back at me the pathetic philosophy
of a much too anemic light-bulb -
the reading lamp stands straight,
like a last redoubt of volition
against the darkness dancing outside.

light flows like a perfect c minor,
running its arpeggio over the objects inside the room
and over the book waiting patiently
to feast on my attention and on my mind.

that book…is an orphan book.
i adopted it the other day.
whoever left it on that bench in the park
must’ve hoped for a good soul to provide it with shelter.
or maybe they simply forgot it…

anyway, that book…came to me like all my things…
you see, i find things.
i find them and i label them, with numbers,
with a marker.
a cyclamen marker.
that was the first thing i ever found.

i found boxes of all sorts, coins, a watch,
a woolen shawl
(that one i couldn’t label…),
a flower pot with a weird tree in it
(a friend said it’s a bonsai -
don’t know what those are, it looks like a malformed child to me…),
i even found a cat once…
but that one licked itself
until the cyclamen number was gone from its fur.

that book is my latest found thing -
number 147.
cat purrs right next to it.

night strives to melt the window
and i gaze idly at the book’s reflection -
makes me wonder if i, at my turn, will ever be found too …

Reviews

[Kenneth S.]

An interesting meditation for sure. I like how you weave mathematics into your poetry as well.

[Haz]

this read as prose poetry, would love to see it in a different layout, it would be very striking. You've definitely got something good going on. Some lines are just fantastic, and this weird scene and story is amazing, its only when you actually stop reading, that you realise how much you enjoyed it. I'm very impressed, I like this a lot, and even more, what it hints at.

[ghostofdawn]

'night strives to melt the window'

always something new and unexpected on your pages, not always what you would expect poetry to be but always robust and filled with flashes of brilliance. stunning!

[Robin]

I'm glad I found you ~ your poetry is sublime and subliminal , your philosphy bends around the heart and this poem is a jewel to behold , as its light permeates one's being . flowing symbolism that feels as if we were face to face .