“You can’t write the clear biography
of the aches and pains inside your skull”
Jim Harrison
You said I was a fabulous, talking head
espousing excitation in sparkling conversation
the way a fountain makes so much of things
with only stale, still waters to pump around in circles
How else could I have staged that one man curtain raiser?
cast as an ageing poster girl hanging out to dry
edgy and downtown from some soapy operetta
a Pygmalion perhaps with an off-stage phantom chiseler
Only later did I go down blind, a rush of blood and seeing stars
pasty on an upturned billboard- yet still I never swooned
preferring nightmare rides, sweating bareback
rat-a-tat tatting at all the eaves dropper’s doors
Abstemious now, it’s plain to see the topsy-turvy blood lines
how the vessels track polarity from heart to head in pain
pumping, throbbing, aching – so it never was a lovesong after all
just a somewhat niggly migraine wrought by the jangle of June
And these few lines – not even enough for a billet doux
Phew! we’ve left no earth shattering volumes to misconstrue
[evidently Walter de la Mare galloped past here with ‘The Listeners’]
One that never quite made it to Jilly’s pick of Jim Harrison quotes but have revived it now without too much of a headache for Poetry Pantry
I enjoyed the read and no doubt it will be appreciated at PU. I loved the biographical feel of the piece and the satisfaction in the narrators words.
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an imaginary bio but I often write in the 1st person to make it less detached – thank you for your appreciation
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I wish I understood more of what this poem meant. Not sure of the context, but the imagery was excellent!
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its a bittersweet look back inspired by Harrison and the poster I captured of the upside down woman – the imagery followed on so thank you for that
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Not a love song but just a migraine – oof! That’s a pretty hard realization. After all the energy pumping those stale waters hoping for some real flow. And I loved all the theater references which added to the feeling of a dramatic and intense relationship that ended up just being some fake scenery that was well lit for a few hours.
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spot on Rimmy – I had underestimated the theatrical element but I suppose the poster sets that up
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That’s some pain…nightmare riding is quite appropriate.
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the kind of pains we need sometimes to open our hearts –
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I enjoyed your poem…but hate the pain.
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no pain, no gain is perhaps not just for body builders!
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I like the surreal feel of this piece, the way in which we can’t be quite sure who the speaker is–a person, a disembodied head, a migraine… how the not knowing matters little, only the emotions jumping from line to line are important. And the shape of the thing. I like that, too. It made me think of an article I read about the making of the film Madeline’s Madeline.
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Really enjoyed your feedback Magaly -not least on how you picked up on a disembodied element which I had not registered – but dissociation is often the experience of migraine – thank you!
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I love the lines of realization so much – ” it never was a lovesong after all / just a somewhat niggly migraine wrought by the jangle of June” – I have lived just such a realization. So well expressed.
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these shattering illusions leave pieces of glass within us – glad you liked the poem nevertheless Sherry!
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A brilliant poem 🙂
Loved the lines: “so it never was a lovesong after all
just a somewhat niggly migraine wrought by the jangle of June”
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Thank you
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Oh my god 💜 I was just contemplating writing about migraine the other day and here you are with this masterpiece! 😊 I love the blend of surreal and serious imagery depicting the magnitude of pain that accompanies a case of severe migraine. Especially like; “pumping, throbbing, aching – so it never was a lovesong after all.” Beautifully rendered! 💜
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we are psychically connected Sanaa 😉 some loves though are a pain in the head
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The image and the narrative are like a swirling blues sax solo; just have to wave my hand in the air and say mmm hmmm. Sing it, baby. We’re all up in this. Great post!!
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What a wonderful way of seeing this poem Jilly – I miss your prompts!
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One man curtain raiser and a Pygmalion idol: What more could one ask from such a quirky and witty piece! I like the motifs you utilize; there’s a dream-like quality to them and their vividness is exempalry. Also, I could feel the resonance of all the pumping and thumping given my terrible hangover headache last evening. Ha!
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you tuned in to the humour too – great- I like to soften the jaundiced view and even pain with that – thank you such incisive feedback
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Ah, I can see that in your penmanship. I think that humor certainly makes the pain more palatable for others and quite so for ourselves as well when we are trying to emulate it in our written word.
I find it so awkward to portray it and put a recognition to it that I end up hiding it in intertwining metaphors and images that either soften the blow or just detract from its original perspective.
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its not easy to aim it right – you do well with your penmanship though
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I suffered migraines until my early twenties when. thankfully, I finally grew out of them. You’ve got the experience down so well, you must know whereof you speak! And what a potent metaphor it makes.
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Not the full blown one but intimations – and pains in the head are at least more tangible than those of the heart
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