The Measure Of A Man

Spoken Word piece. Won four awards with this one.

still he comes with the speed of a locomotive and the precision of buck shot

 

the measure of a man

y a r d s t i c k   

      or                  ruler
 

which is crueler...

 

quantified by the end result

in fluid ounces

or  calories burned?

 

 

 

is he a 2, a 4, a 26?  off the charts at 2,010, his head will swell and he'll do it again

 

 

the measure of a man
from 5-foot-one
        to
six-foot-four
is the black and white height chart
by convenience store doors
 

 

it's the ching-ching-ching
of the change in his pocket
it's the rodney king beat down
it's the size of the rocket
it's the stupid f*****g rim size
on the tires that he owns
it's the full size qwerty keyboard
on a half size telephone

 

and the magnitude of the mass must equal the proportion of the depth to the breadth to the second power

 

and it must tower
(not cower)
in the shower               be bold when it's cold         and NEVER ever

 

get old

 

there's a size 42 3-piece suit in the closet and it fits him it'll always fit him because it fits you it fits into the picture you painted with a stolen brush and magenta periwinkle blue chartreuse fuchsia girly colors and every time he looks at it hanging in the 12 by 16 foot walk-in closet he had built for you in the 3200-square foot house on 2 acres at 64 Highmaintenance Lane he is reminded that it takes exactly 2 to tango and you aren't dancing anymore you aren't holding him around the waist anymore you aren't stepping on his size 12 feet and laughing anymore you're just counting down the days to the next victoria's secret sale the next granite countertop stainless steel matching coach bag spray on tan touch screen blackberry starbucks acrylic nail tea cup  sweater-wearing chihuahua clearance sale 

76 5 4 3 2

 

1

 

the pin stripe suit with the red satin lining will never get worn if he has anything to say about it but after he's dead and 6 feet under he'll have nothing to say about it  he sees it hanging there every time he opens the closet door he knows you love it because you had it specially made

 

 

measured

 

for a man

 

whose days are numbered

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[W.k.kortas]

If you're going to play around with form with malice aforethought, you'd better damn well have a good reason. Happily, this does; the whole notion of measurement is played with here in many ways on several levels. There is effective and judicious use of repetition, and the formal tricks and variations are used with real purpose. So many people play with form just to be modern or post-modern or whatever the hell else with no purpose in mind. They could take a lesson from this piece.

[Charles]

I like the 'shape' of this poem - the line length, the stanza length and even the font size in one line bespeak of size and the way men measure themselves or other men. The run on lines starting with 'it's the ching ching ching' says it all (or nearly all of it) and the biological references are inserted nicely (nothing profane about them). There's enough rhyme here to let readers know that you are aware of the concept, but choose to ignore it - as you say elswhere. Nice job, as usual.

[Tate Morgan]

I cant agree on the measure of a man But them I'm a romantic !However I wrote one myself.Take a look at my attempt called What is A Man?
Tate

[zig]

pure.

and thats really all i have to say. pure is such a small word but it means to so much... to me anyway. ok may ill add another word, pure voice. very nicely done. submit this one somewhere, it needs to be published.

zig

[Phibby Venable]

What a powerful yardstick of words, and keen insights, and passion.
You make the reader feel! Very tricky, but you have totally
mastered it!

[cest la vie]

To put W.k.'s fear to rest this girl will NEVER play around this form. I would make one helluva convulated mess..
You however bring it on as sharp as a tack, Wonderful..

In your words, "I fecken hate you"..

[Doctor JKC]

" or ruler


which is crueler..."

I love all the coincidental rhymes.

I happen to despise all but a half-dozen men and am not
close friends with any of them. I don't see the point of
hanging around pin-heads. Women are far superior company.

The form was great/relevant and your words always stinging without
going into the usual teen age rant, which plagues this site.

You are a writer's writer!
Hugs, Dr. Stoolhorst

[celyn]

This is brilliant and witty and everything you could want in a poem.
The best i've read in a long time, a truly wonderful write.

[LJW]

Thanks W.k.k.. The thing is I started writing in this (non) style with malice of forethought and abandoned it at some point, hoping to become more polished and make my wring more accessible. I am not sorry I did that and even less sorry that I adhere to no rules at all, nor am I even much aware when writers like yourself (who know the rules and use them to their advantage) point out my judicious use of them.

These pieces come out with the force of a speeding locomotive and hit the screen like buckshot. My fingers just fly and I am usually surprised when I reread what all has come out of me, so I appreciate your comment even more.

Ed and Emily...you are two of my staunchest supporters and I love that you always come back for more, even when I think I don't deserve it.

[Ed Hart]

this is a genuine chart topper!