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A Bloodstain and a Bubble Bath
My root chakra is a tail light. I drove
around at night, when I could hunt the zo-
diac for shooting stars, or the horsehead
nebula & observe objects of in-
rerstellar origins
time
traveling
whose carcasses aren’t yet apparent to
telescopic lense. I’m miles from him and
still
have
no
space.
In adolescence, we used to watch the
undulating aurora together
on that country road with marijuana
far, far away from our alcoholic
parents.
And once the villagers heard news, they sold
their cows and waited on the hilltops for
the whole terrible world to end and yet,
lived (I am still scared that you are what you
say you are). Yet another honeymoon,
you should be living a life of quiet
reflection usurped by the screaming of
red
hot
AKs
and a God in lipstick and a bandana.
The 4th arm of Kali has a severed
head by the hair, spinning in the ga-
lactic center, spiral arms of torna
-dic debri, the dust of creation un-
der her fingernails.
A sword, a dish for the drippings, one arm
outstretched in reassuring blessing for
the children she avenges and a tongue
stuck out for stepping on Shiva. Damage.
A bloodspattered headdress on an ele-
phant blooming with Henna tattoos,
a harness for the bride on it’s back.
A poem for the baby girls buried
in the sand. What crime have they committed?
The starless sky has no heartbeat. Empty
abyss like a dragon has come and the
towers
have
tumbled.
A blooming midden of shotgun shells, a
screaming meteor streaking the sky, the
line I drew when I said “no”, not again.
The way fireflies will die in a jar.
A room of one’s own, a door that locks and
gardens beneath which running waters flow.
A bloodstain and a bubble bath.
A snuffed-out cigarette still stinking the
kitchen reminds me of what went wrong yes
-terday.
Review Request (Intensity):
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How was my language use?
What did you think of the rhythm or pattern or pacing?
How does this theme appeal to you?
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Editing stage:
Content level:
Not Explicit Content
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Comments
Lavender
Wed, 2022-10-19 20:48
A Bloodstain and a Bubble Bath
Greetings, Elizabeth,
So much to study here. I believe much of the symbolism refers to Buddhism and Hinduism. There is also the feel of conflict / war - dark vs. light, evil vs. good. I would need to study Kali and the history of much of what you've given to read. I do find it fascinating. I wonder about the "him" and the "you" mentioned. Are they the same person? Your language is compelling, and I would love to hear a bit more regarding the poem's meaning - both spiritual and literal.
Thank you,
Lavender
Geezer
Thu, 2022-10-20 09:45
Damn...
Lavender got here before me again! She has said everything I would have said and asked all the questions I would have asked. I do get a sense of what the whole thing is about; the bloodstain, the bubble-bath and smoke from the cigarette reminding you of what went wrong yesterday. I'm thinking of the bubble-bath is to wash away the blood that was spilled in battle, and the smoke from the cigarette reminding you of the smoke from the guns. I would still like to hear what you have to say about this one, I am as interested as Lavender and I'm sure that there are many that would love to know more. ~ Geezer.
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