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Memorandum of an Artiste

 
I. Iridescent Cabaret
 
I delve into this iridescent cabaret of you
 
you
with your kaleidoscope eyes
filled to the brim with innocence and ivy
your velveteen totems casually settled 
on the oath between us, mocking silence
 
you
with your mildewed doll smile shimmering 
through our transluscent tempera
my fragile artiste, my delicate heart
I longed to tell you why I was jade-covered
 
you
forever floating lengthways
in a realm of surreal discomfort
confusion gained on your broken soul
yet I longed to view you upsidedown
 
you
hostage of your pictoral vanity
until the incandescent mirror shattered
I called for a strychnine toast
to you and my pale resignation:

my abstract Mistress of Black and White
come with me, be art tonight
 
 
II. These Mercurial Nights
 
together we defied the world
your heart-shaped lips 
wrapped luciously
around a cigarette
blew smoke, perfect rings
to the far end of the universe
and shattered
on our nebula song
 
we were chrysalis angels
we were invincible then
 
these mercurial nights
were something to remember
my sister, like siamese twins
yet of different mothers
 
you sang to me daytime lullabys
my other half, my only half
both knowing we were doomed
 
and so there were consequences
as your silicon eyes opened for me
one last time, so deep with mystery 
and blue defiance, you said:
 
tell the careless whispers of youth
that the world will never know what we know
we have held her hostage for much too long...
 
now happiness would wear your skin
 
if only she could
if only she could
 
 
Review Request (Intensity): 
I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back
Editing stage: 

Comments

Love both poems submitted but felt a personal kinship to
the second one Kata ... so glad to see you back !!!

Richard

yes, the second is so much more personal, while the first acts on a more descriptive level, at least for me, emotionally.
when I read these two, the first seems like a whispered introduction, an omniscient narrator commenting.
thank you for taking the time to read and of course for all the support concerning the italics ;)
Kata

author comment

throughout this poem
and Ive run off the ending in my
head still reeling for the lines

"Now happiness would wear your skin

If only she could
If only she could"

never thought of specific gravities
to feelings
feminine or masculine
or objective

Was in the last while
thinking of masks
and in our native cultures
the skin of animals are worn
and cloth for human
the poetry is the dance
the shaman telling
usually about the fire

the fire here burns
I can feel it

iridescent

Thank You

thank you, my friend,
your comments are poems
in and of themselves.
Kata

author comment

nothing but the drawl of humidity
the heat before the cold startle days

coming back to re read this
and falling back in my chair

how it matches my melancholic mood
euphoric sadness

always wonderful to read you my Friend!

thank you for your beautiful comment. it is always such an honor when someone re-reads and even takes the time to comment.
I am so glad that I was abel to "soundtrack" your mood some.
... euphoric sadness... yes, thats describes it well... I've been feeling quite a lot of that lately.
but tis the fall, the change, the cycle. it gets to me somehow. not in a good way, not in a bad way but in an intense way that no other season can.
autumn love. wolf, I hope you find your moon again.

author comment

Intense

the moon is lovely
come lets see!~!

but thank you for the compliment, or better yet, the confidence to keep writing freely in English. I am currently learning Chinese and can't wait until I'm knowledgeable enough to throw the occasional Chinese word into a poem or two ;) if I ever get there...
thank you for taking the time to read,
Kata

author comment

that girl i saw at Niagara falls
smoking in abandoned delight,
the smoke smouldered with in ,
i hope she remained right
but soon was in the midst ,
of a crowd as thin as thin air ..
she vanished

together we defied the world
your heart-shaped lips
wrapped luciously
around a cigarette
blew smoke, perfect rings
to the far end of the universe
and shattered
on our nebula song

loved

she vanished and yet her ghost remains
locked away in your memory.
strange how some
seemingly meaningless
moments can haunt us...

author comment

repetition unintended

loved

once again you may like to cast
some rays of your superb intelligence
as is profoundly evident

Life by itself is meaningless , we

Life by itself is meaningless , we

all have to endeavour ,
in our own imitable way ,
to make it meaningful.
Some memories take a back stage
in the human brain
and
they surface at times,
unknowingly.

loved

loved

sleepy,
error thus

loved

This is magical:

my abstract Mistress of Black and White
come with me, be art tonight
_

and this tugs at the heart:

you sang to me daytime lullabys
my other half, my only half
both knowing we were doomed

I loved them both. welcome to Neopoet (wb)

always, Cat

*
When someone reads your work
And responds, please be courteous
And reply in kind, thanks.

thank you for reading and taking the time to comment!
and also for the warm words of welcome, it feels so good to be back here.
Kata

author comment

kaleidoscope eyes...so pretty. damn good write i say.
always,
mag

it makes me happy knowing you enjoyed it...
I love your profile pic btw :)
Kata

author comment

Your words flow as an artist paints with many hues, they give another dimention to things felt not see because to feel is better.
So very welcome back to Neo, we missed you, Yours Ian.T

.
There are a million reasons to believe in yourself,
So find more reasons to believe in others..

how have you been???
I was so excited to see your picture here :)
can't stop smiling, you've made my day, dear friend!
love,
Kata

author comment

I war with words and feel with a universal love, it is lovely to have such a warmth here walking with us again.
I am well but becoming older and maybe wiser, in that I only fight battles that I will win.
Just shower all those tyrants with unconditional love and they mellow as I do with age, but they grow not old.
You are the future of our poets with many others we walk with and chide you all to reach out for perfection but who knows what that is.
You take care young lady and write as you feel it catches us in our hearts.
Yours as always, Ian.T

.
There are a million reasons to believe in yourself,
So find more reasons to believe in others..

fantastic language use
especially
‘filled to the brim with innocence and ivy'
'your velveteen totems’
‘mildewed doll smile’
‘jade-covered’
‘these mercurial nights’
– such imagery here

then i adore
'‘we were chrysalis angels’
‘we were invincible then’

i love the change in feel from the first part to the second
i felt as if i was watching a movie that faded the scene from today to one from the past

altogether got totally caught up in the wonderfully melancholic mood (lol a little oxymoron there)

absolutely nothing to crit
love judy

'Each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star,
shall draw the Thing as he sees It, for the God of Things as They are.'
(Rudyard Kipling)

thank you for your kind words. ( I must mention the typo I just corrected, I had accidentally written: thank you for your kind worms)
I love how you decribed the feel of the journey from one poem to the other.
my kind worms and I thank you for your warm comment, :)
Kata

author comment

kind worms are hard to find :)

'Each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star,
shall draw the Thing as he sees It, for the God of Things as They are.'
(Rudyard Kipling)

If you find more worms I would love them, Yours , as always hungry, Sparrow..
PS:- this comment will bring this lovely piece to the top of the stream again lol

.
There are a million reasons to believe in yourself,
So find more reasons to believe in others..

I agree with judyanne about imagery, the same lines!

We walk through mirrors of coloured lights,
snatching in air your metaphors,
trying to decipher and sieve through our own brains,
to surface and understand your tale,
so richly endowed with words
that they bedazzle the meaning,
and leave us with snatches of reality
to spin into the whole vision;
relying on the quality of our imagination
to lift us out of everyday perceptions
into the other-ness of worlds we know not of;
gloved in our mittens of the known,
we grope to find the essence in the dark.

A large exhibition could be staged of these poems,
their details enlarged to make their statement,
photographically: with stuffed dolls and scientific gadgets
to enhance all images,
it would indeed be quite an exhibition I think.
A film perhaps.
An epic made from the stuff of life.

Ann of Norway.
 

"The image of yourself which you see in a mirror Is dead,
but the reflection of the moon on water, lives." Kenzan.

yes, you understand my poetry so well.
I cherish these comments, seeing the different perspectives poems can take, the twists and turns interpreted so differently by others...
I will have to think about that exhibition. it would not be the first time I lokked to poetry for inspiration (for example, my current character design actually includes the Proprietress of Crimson Hearts, a self-portrait, I will send it to you soon).
much love from here to there,
Kata

author comment

Dear Kata, what a pleasure to read you & see you here again.

I am still reeling from this read, exquisite really... a true inspiration for me. I feel I have lost so much subtlety & expression after a long illness that effected my whole life severely, including my ability to articulate myself & think clearly, & I read this & am reminded what an utter pleasure it is to read poetry that steals your soul for a time, wraps it in a myriad of poignant images & sensations, touches several histories & experineces so delicately in my own deep being & dances gracefully away untouched by any of that, trailing silken scarves of beauty, Isadora Duncan in the sky. You have me ripe with the desire to capture even the reflecions of my response to this lovely work here. If I felt I could leave someone else so touched with my writing I would feel somewhat fulfilled as a writer, so I hope you understand this is hhigh praise.

It is so lovely to find you here again. We are quite privelidged here I think, to read from such expression rich writers & artistes indeed.

I am interested to see your design also if you are happy to make it a publc thing, such is your inspiration Kata.

.... I just had to read it again... fantastic... it occurs that the opening lines really summ the experience up... you really did create an "irridescent caberet" of someone that was a pleasure to expereince Kata!!!!

Be well
Anni

Cheers
Anni

My dear friend always told me "Water the seeds of joy first"

you cannot imagine how sorry I am to hear that you have not been well. illness comes crawling out of the darkest corners of life, catches us off guard... but I certainly do not miss any subtlety or expression in your words :) you are, and will always be, an inspiration, not just to me, but to others as well (this I know for a fact). oh Anni, march through the aftermath... we all just need to keep moving and life will get better. it tends to find ways.
I loved hearing from you and I am honored that you enjoyed this poem as much as I have enjoyed many of yours.
I send you all of my (remaining) strength, poetess.
Kata

author comment

Thanks generous woman, I think I need to chuckle at the concept of you enjoying my work as much as I do yours... You are quite extraordinary, but I know that humility is important & I am happy to pretend I am even close to your league (snicker). All is fine, don't fret, I will recover, or I will not, it could be worse & isn't, I'm just learning to be ever more present to the wonders of these moments we have right now. That is a huge gift if you look at it that way... I am sure you would know that well, I know you have been through much yourself .

So wonderful to read you again...
Be well & much peace a heartfelt warmth to you

Cheers
Anni

Cheers
Anni

My dear friend always told me "Water the seeds of joy first"

my heart has fallen so completely for you that every word reached out its hand and touched the very edge of my sensitivities with velvet whispers of who I want to be…truly a work of Art my dear…simply lovely…

Yours,
Val

thank you, you have no idea how much your words mean to me.
I have been absent for quite a while (it seems to happen again and again, I've been so busy) and your comment reminds me of why I would just love to nestle into this site and never leave.
there is always so much beauty here, more than elsewhere, I feel.
but beauty is inevitable, as is truth, when poets come together, right? :)
thank you for taking the time to comment, it means the world to me.
your
Proprietress

author comment

Listening to Birdy..my fave female vocalist and artist
how music does soothe the savage beast

reading my favourite poems
how this kinship we have here and
Online runs truly deep

the artists soul shines
this is very articulated

Thank You for this wonderful poem
this has lifted me!

Am listening to Birdy, she is beautiful and must be restful to your spirit,
Yours Ian.T

.
There are a million reasons to believe in yourself,
So find more reasons to believe in others..

delicate art

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