Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Once More With Feeling

Once More With Feeling

Once more with feeling,
and then again, without.

Startle the pigeons.

Try it low and flat,
so absent of panic that
I am alarmed.

Lose the triumphantly raised fist,
but sure, give me your hands
upturned, reaching,
wrapped around my throat,
my pulse on your wrists.

With gusto, with force,
the way you would eat alone, in the evening,
after not eating all day.

And again,
haltingly, as if struggling
with pronunciation or legibility.

Kick aside the podium
to show me how much you love me,
and stub the microphone out
like a cigarette.

Ask a question you do not expect anyone to answer,
and wait, patiently
until someone speaks,
most likely me.

7 comments

  1. I had to read this several times and imagine different things...I love the imagery you create!

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  2. I enjoyed this a lot, Hannah, the action, the images, the different possible interpretations.

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  3. From Therese B. -- The pigeons are a nice touch; they are almost like doves without enough feeling, tepid love doves.

    Memorable poem.

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  4. OMG. The feeling is intense. Love these lines:Kick aside the podium
    to show me how much you love me,
    and stub the microphone out
    like a cigarette.

    Ask a question you do not expect anyone to answer,
    and wait, patiently
    until someone speaks,
    most likely me.

    LOVE it!xo

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  5. Hi Hannah,

    I've read this poem multiple times, loving it for the emotion and the depth. I'm still figuring out what it all means, appreciating its careful construction, the tension, and the weight of every word.

    This image:
    "With gusto, with force,
    the way you would eat alone, in the evening,
    after not eating all day."
    I love the juxtaposition, illustrating how a non-event can be an extreme expression of hostility.

    This is definitely one for a volume of your published poems.

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  6. I should send this one to our music director. This is how he talks to us when we're not responding to his direction re: the details of dynamics. He makes passionate hand gestures and I swear he has said "once more with feeling" after multiple iterations of a particular phrase.

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