A Man Alone

by Stephen Orlen



I hated breaking up and I hated
Being left, finding myself in an apartment
With an extra set of silverware and a ghost,
Impatient to be gone. Then to summon up
Who I was before the bed was full with woman.
To shift the street-mind from getting to
To slowing down and window shop. In the bar down the street,
To let my eyes simplify again, and make no judgments,
And breathe in the smoke that drifts
Through one body then another,
And find myself close enough
To whisper into a woman's just-washed hair
And inhale that ten thousand year old scent.
To memorize a phone number.
To learn to say goodnight at her door.
To keep my hands in my pockets, like a boy.

Comments

  1. Very nice.

    And a gift from a memory of a song:

    Easy From Now On
    written by Susanna Clark/Carlene Routh

    There he goes gone again
    Same old story's gotta come to an end
    Lovin' him was a one-way street
    But I'm gettin' off where the crossroads meet
    It's a quarter moon in a ten cent town
    Time for me to lay my heartaches down
    Saturday night gonna make myself a name
    Take a month of Sundays to try and explain

    It's gonna be easy to fill
    The heart of a thirsty woman
    Harder to kill the ghost of a no good man
    And I'll be ridin' high in a fandangled sky
    It's gonna be easy
    It's gonna be easy from now on

    Raw as whip but clean as a bone
    Soft to the touch when you take me home
    When the mornin' comes and it's time for me to leave
    Don't worry 'bout me, I got a wild card up my sleeve

    It's gonna be easy to fill
    The heart of a thirsty woman
    Harder to kill the ghost of a no good man
    And I'll be ridin' high in a fandangled sky
    It's gonna be easy,
    It's gonna be easy,
    It's gonna be easy from now on

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my. Such a blog you have here.Along with this latest post I loved reading the other poetry you feature, including Stars by Freya Manfred.The powerful emotions stirred by the "Simply a Quiet Thought" post had me gulping back a lump in my throat. My daughter, studying her Masters in Creative Writing at University, is a also a registered nurse. She stands in awe and respect for those who have continued in this field of work for most of their lives. She too, understands the treasures of poetry unearthed and exposed to others and can appreciate the depths of emotions evoked, from delight to profound pain,with everything between.Thank you for the work you do, and the poetry you share.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Isn't it strange that words can summon up feelings?
    That a few selected words leave my stomach in knots?
    strained smiles.....

    ReplyDelete

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Hey, thanks for your thoughts and your time:>)

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