Nocturne in Jensen Avenue
A wet wind swings
the Saracen's Head to creak
above the opened door
leading to Molly Featherstone
astride a bar stool, dangling
a fag from redded lips that spit
sweet nothings at Jim Toby's back,
while he stacks shelves
with Brown Cow Premium Stout.
Across the street, through rain,
the window of Bob's Barber Shop
reveals John Bottomworth, the man
who sells untaxed tobacco and condoms,
and is the sexton at St Mary's church.
He lights the night with a shining scalp,
which Bob is burnishing with oil
he bought from Len Benicci, made
from salvaged fat from the Hake n Haddock,
laced with lavender and thyme.
Later that gleaming pate will glow beside
the sheen of Molly's sable locks,
until the Saracen's Head shuts up.
Some god may know what happens next.
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| nocturnal lives interconnected with day to day tradition, individual, yet, universal. i hear them |
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Thanks, Kenneth. I've just put the whole of Lum Street up. This was well taken when first published, but may also show why I've got to be careful not to be repetetive in any ways. Jensen Avenue must be in another part of another town.
milner |
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It will be worth the time if they all come out this well. I really enjoyed this one Milner. The details are all fairly evocative. It feels a little like a cross-stitch with the threads tangled behind the scenes pulling everything together.
I'll have to check out the other pieces in the series. |
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Thanks, Sophia.
It's really part of a series, Al. The previous 2 are Road to Damascus and She gazes. They're coming slow, well spread out. I did one years ago called Lum Street, which came rolling out one after the other as people popped out of their houses. Maybe it's because I want that this should be different, not a sort of sequel, that it's coming so slow. Well, slow but sure, they say. Thanks
milner |
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Comment by: - 2007-08-11 16:07
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| Almost prose, the rhythm stayed true throughout. Wonderfully descriptive. It would read, as prose, like a chapter from a longer work. It hints at future happenings, possible future chapters. Good read. |
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