The toastmaster's blues

The toastmaster's blues

A Poem by gram linski

The shell of Eternity
of rain slicked/ruin slicked life
of freshly shorn shards
of broken hearted things
of honey suckle and bruised
rose petal blues
the scent of lavender,
a hint of lilac,
the undercurrent 
of effluent risin' 
A taster in the wind'
and jap's eye weeps
and third eye cries
and deadeye blinks, alive,

© 2019 gram linski


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Your last line sort of turns the poem around in my head. It's almost like a Lazarus poem. Dead to the world and then, the heartbreaking beauty of life comes bursting in and shakes the dead to life. I like the way your chosen images offer the sweetness and the starkness. The flowers you've used as symbols are all these heady, heavily scented things that permeate the air--sometimes some of them are described as sickly sweet, but a lot of this perception is in the eye of the beholder.

Like the way a certain fragrance can evoke a bad memory and can never hold anything but that memory again. The associations we have impact the way we perceive life so much of the time. So, you have all this beauty at the surface, but mixed with that is the bruise and brokenness of time--the shards and shells--the husk of our lives laid out before us to be puzzled together. Whether this brings the deadeye a blink or a stillness remains a question for the future. I like the hopefulness of your ending. It is like saying: life is a continual process and nothing is ever settled.

Posted 3 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

gram linski

3 Years Ago

thanks, Eilis, believe it or not I always try and infuse a little hope into my poems, lol, it was a .. read more



Reviews

Broken shards and bruised rose petals...lions and tigers and bears, oh my, but what's this? It seems to find a moment of resurrection and a soft perfume in the air, much like waking from a bad dream to the fragrant aroma of strong coffee in the morning. That always brings me back to life. A toast to you my friend, for your creative and expressive descriptions here. Well done. I enjoyed. F.

Posted 3 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

gram linski

3 Years Ago

glad you enjoyed this blast from the past,
Fabian, appreciate the great review,
Fabian G. Franklin

3 Years Ago

My pleasure. Truly, F.
Your last line sort of turns the poem around in my head. It's almost like a Lazarus poem. Dead to the world and then, the heartbreaking beauty of life comes bursting in and shakes the dead to life. I like the way your chosen images offer the sweetness and the starkness. The flowers you've used as symbols are all these heady, heavily scented things that permeate the air--sometimes some of them are described as sickly sweet, but a lot of this perception is in the eye of the beholder.

Like the way a certain fragrance can evoke a bad memory and can never hold anything but that memory again. The associations we have impact the way we perceive life so much of the time. So, you have all this beauty at the surface, but mixed with that is the bruise and brokenness of time--the shards and shells--the husk of our lives laid out before us to be puzzled together. Whether this brings the deadeye a blink or a stillness remains a question for the future. I like the hopefulness of your ending. It is like saying: life is a continual process and nothing is ever settled.

Posted 3 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

gram linski

3 Years Ago

thanks, Eilis, believe it or not I always try and infuse a little hope into my poems, lol, it was a .. read more
What a contrast between the scent of lavender, that hint of lilac, the mention of rose petal blues and the undercurrent of effluent risin. We have beauty here amid I suspect the crap that also comes with life. There is sadness here and this reader felt it.

Chris

Posted 4 Years Ago


gram linski

4 Years Ago

Cheers Chris, how do you fertilize your garden, from s**t beautiful things grow, lol,
Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

True enough, beautiful things do emerge from s**t. You have a wonderful way with words gram :)))
gram linski

4 Years Ago

I thank you.
you sing the blues with a rainbow of colours and experiences
feels so somber but reads so beautifully

Posted 4 Years Ago


gram linski

4 Years Ago

Glad you enjoyed, Edie, singing the blues is the question, Miles Davis - Kind of blue is good backgr.. read more
Edie Blue Starfish

4 Years Ago

Miles Davis, yes :)
I can accept that.
oooh...."effluent" .....great word..
i would really like to know exactly what the third eye sees...
and even when we are dead, will we be alive...will know what others thought of us when we were walking the earth.
i like the references to all of the sad things we can feel...a taste of all of them...and a universal weeping...
love the imagery and feeling from this...especially the "rose petal blues"

j.

Posted 4 Years Ago


gram linski

4 Years Ago

Thanks, j. you bring up some interesting ideas, which I could discuss at length, glad you enjoyed
Me thinks folks around these parts are going to have loads of fun getting to the bottom of this offering from the Linski stable. It has all the hallmarks from the staccato melody to the provocative language and images mixed with clever [subtle] nuggets of wisdom and an angry undercurrent aiming to shock, provoke and engage the reader. Perhaps the alternative view might be your therapist playing word association games while charging you a huge fee!

Posted 4 Years Ago


gram linski

4 Years Ago

Hahaha, my therapist left me for a younger unhealthier man, so my G.P. said to me but he was also re.. read more
John Alexander McFadyen

4 Years Ago

Ah replacement therapy. Must be a clinical trial somewhere talking up the efficacy!

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Added on June 6, 2019
Last Updated on June 6, 2019

Author

gram linski
gram linski

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