Disease

Some sickness is permanent.

 

DISEASE

  Two strangers sat together.
Discussing things that didn't matter.

  The woman looked at the man.
Told him.
"I was once a beauty once.
Men begged for my attention."

 He whispered.
"Beauty is one less burden.
For I can see what you really have become.
You have nothing to hide now.
You became what you truly are."

  He smiled. Kissed her forehead.

Told her.
"Laughter and good drinks were the answer now."

  She smiled and told him..
"You are ugly with hate.
A sad end for a man.
Who held so many dreams."

  He looked into the mirror.

He saw a old and tire man.
Told her.
"Dreams are what the children hold on to."

 " It comes a time.
When you realize.
We are all greedy b******s wanting too much.
Too little."

  She looked away.
He try to explain his disease isn't so special.
"It is many ways to died.
I have chosen my way to finish my journey."


  She asked him to come home with her.
He thanks her for the kind offer.


  Her eyes.
Full of anger.
Would not except his excuse for not desiring her.


  Her voice.
Changed to a softer tone.
Like a Doctor finding a new disease.

  She wondered how any man could not desire her?
She licked her lips.
Told him.
"I could teach you to hunger again?

Make you want to swim in the heat of the warm flesh."


  He gave her a hug.
Whispered into her ear.
"I danced in the turmoil of the flesh so often.
I don't desire to feel the hunger to enter
into the game of the flesh anymore."

  He kissed her lips and her forehead.
His hand felt the softness of red hair.

  Her eyes are shining now.
Still trying to figure a way to break down
the wall of safety.


  She whispered  and brought him closer to her body. Told him.
"I will make you yearn for me.
Men are but fool's wanting for a purpose."

   He smiled.
Told her. "In time we all become the master or the slave.
Looking for someone to pray to or become the servant.
  A screw-up game of give just enough."

  Love has become the most worthless of the four letters words.

She asked him to go home with her again..

He lifted his drink to her.
Told her. "You are still young and may have a chance?
Honey.
Walk away from this bar.
Only the walking dead are waiting for death.
Are here."

  She kissed his face many times.
Young woman with so many scars.
Whispered. "I love you old Poet."

  He watch her walk away.
He does a silence prayer.

  He prayed for her to be Ok.

"Don't end up twisted up and have no place to be.

But the darkness and loneliness of bars and taverns.
                 Coyote
                  1988

Reviews

[Ruth]

It seems sad when that is all that is left for someone....interesting work love...I like it a lot....you make the reader question what life is about....thought provoking in the fact that the reader wonders the circumstances behind it all!
Great work, as always love
xx

[trainwreck]

This was beautiful. I've missed reading your work.

[Awdures]

Left me with a certain sense of sadness honey, your writing is so emotional at times it bursts off the page! You always manage to elude "telling" us the story and let us come to our own conclusions though! Excellent trick of yours ;)

[Karina Longo]

I agree with the fellow writer who said it sounds a bit like Bukowski. So many feelings wrapping this wonderfully descriptive piece, delivering such an original, dark, gifted writing.

[karmax]

Sadlly most find themselves left in the company of a tavern, forgetting socialization starts with a wave or hello! We live in a world of greed and anger, and few walk amongst spreading hope and laughter. I like to say: Be the change you wish to see. With that said...bravo, excellent penning and great job :)

[OT]

another poem I could have sworn I'd reviewed! I'm truly losing it - what struck me when I first read it, and again now is the wisdom in some of the lines - this one particularly grabbed me - "Beauty is one less burden." - the idea that one can be free from the burdens of physicality - to be real - ahh a line for us all to envy! and then this too - " Love has become the most worthless of the four letters words." - perhaps it has indeed! - wisdom as always here!

[Droll Prole]

This is a brilliant poem, it delves so deeply into human behaviours, reminds me of Charles Bukowski a bit.

[kasanova]

deep man....

[LangstonOctober]

WOW! i wish i can storytell like this. this is one of my favorite of all time. i really should be taking notes from you. the world can benefit from your writing. subtle and deep are the two things you have mastered!

[☯]

A battle between reality, and a world of hope. What we think we know, and what feel in our hearts. A flow of true wisdom and resistance. It reminds me of all the things we go through to learn just a small lesson. Great work, an amazing write.

[Zoe Jay]

Coyote, this piece is exceptional in it's wisdom. This is an unusual and a deeply layered human interaction. You have portrayed it beautifully and delicately, as always, in the straightforward and unpretentious fashion of a true story-teller. Your writing style is the moms-apple-pie of literature, lol :-)

What we really see here is the array of human imperfection laid out for us - the woman, insecure, and she is angry, manipulative, and clingy in her insecurity. Yet still tender, vulnerable, somehow soft in her harshness, and you have portrayed her with empathy. She is bitter, desperate, and afraid, in her loneliness and ageing. This character I think stands for and represents all the worst human fears - darkness, loneliness, unfulfilled dreams, rejection, and death. I think she also represents the dark side of the female psyche - dependence, neediness, vanity, manipulation, and the quest for validation. I particularly like that, although as I say, this character for me represents the negative side of the human psyche, she is portrayed with sensitivity - we understand why she is the way she is, and pity her. But this could also be read with the female character not actually being real, but representing the other side of the author's personality - this could easily be a conversation that a person is having with themselves, inside their head, confronting their own insecurities.

The second protagonist of course represents wisdom, experience, spirituality, selflessness, strength, independance. This obviously balances the other character, and gives symmetry to the poem, and forms the central message and premise of the poem. The interaction of the characters - male and female, yin and yang, positive and negative, strong and weak, is ultimately a discussion of life, and different attitudes to life, how those attitudes may affect outcomes, and how outcomes may affect attitudes, and how those with different attitudes may help one another.

However, as with the female character, there is a sense of duality in how the male character is portrayed. There is a distinct sense of sadness to this character, he is certainly not presented overall as being happier than the female character, which is perhaps ironic, but also central to the concept - neither person, attitude, or life is ultimately better than the other. Indeed, the male character may simply be further down the same road... and that is why he prays for her, and will not take advantage of her.

This is a beautiful, wise, and illuminating write.