Three Word Wednesday - This weeks' words
Drag; verb: Pull (something or someone) along forcefully, roughly or with difficulty; take (someone) to or from a place or event despite their reluctance; noun: the action of pulling something forcefully or with difficulty; act of inhaling smoke; clothing more conventionally worn by the opposite sex.
Mumble; verb: Say something indistinctly and quietly, making it difficult for others to hear; noun: A quiet and indistinct utterance.
Penetrate; verb: Succeed in forcing a way in or through (a thing); infiltrate an enemy or group to spy on it; (of a man) insert the penis into the vagina or anus (of a sexual partner).
Preparing For The Night
Take a drag, you queen.
Inhale, then mumble hopeful
schemes that penetrate
your exhaled smokescreen
like the needle pokes your skin
in those fevered times
before the mirror
as you paint your nails red
and flick your fine foot.
Love the picture you sketch here! Even if you hadn't included the picture, I'd have imagined the same thing just from your words.
ReplyDeleteI imagine this playing to a Velvet Underground soundtrack..the picture is a suitably grubby accompaniment..Jae
ReplyDeleteLovely flow of words creating an eerie chill.
ReplyDeletevery haunting
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. Transgender in any form is strange to me, though I really do get the stigma thing and the counter culture thing.
ReplyDeleteLove the picture, and I like the bit about the needle. Also the looking in a mirror observation comes across strongly!
ReplyDeleteI love it, too. The picture is gorgeous, and it fits your poem so well.
ReplyDeletestrong poem. with a rhythm that
ReplyDeletemakes it memorable.
really liked your poem. didn't feel that the narrative contained much empathy for the subject but it had a haunting ending, powerfully enhanced by the alliteration. amazing how these poetic tricks can create such great impact. a really nice piece of work.
ReplyDeleteI actually wasn't trying for outside empathy, or as I said, inside either. I don't feel that people in the life actually have that much empathy for themselves. There is a whole spectrum of people in all the varieties of gay and transgender experience and when you are in the downtown dope freak end of things, perhaps in the seamier entertainment and exploitation end of things, I am not sure that empathy is the right thing, even when you are sitting in that seat flicking your fine foot.
ReplyDeleteIt is not a long lived position and it is a highly dangerous one. Getting out of there is not easy but staying in may be worse. Youth and some simulation of good health is essential or it doesn't pay. Empathy at the turning point may permit staying in beyond survival. I am only saying there are limited ways of being there whatever the stigma and outlaw status. Many people require that the way out not be sugar coated in any way or else they will not get out but instead just "disappear".
grabbing words.
ReplyDeleteYou write fabulous poetry/stories,
Please check out short story slam week 9 today.
Hope to see you around.
Best!
xoxox
Bluebell, I have linked this evening's post to your site, based in part on that picture.
ReplyDelete