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Bangla Town
Shoreditch
Stitched
with wannabe's
Spittalfields
unpeeled
overloaded
with bric a brac
a well travelled man
sells treasures from a sack
and amidst the nick nacks
tells me my tale
it unravels, his face
an old screwed up tea bag
and I'm hung out to dry.
unveiled
and stale odour clings to me
a days worth of fags.
Jack the Ripper once haunted these alleys
etching up notches of each whore
Now people just come here to score
But I'm wandering into
my paradise, my oasis
Here, I am faceless
Nothing superficial here
Gold elephants decorate the arcs
that I pass beneath
and I suddenly realise
That I can breathe
here
leave everything behind
soak in sunsets, sari's ,silks and scents
of spicey jewelled
precious seasoning
I believe in this
this kiss
of life
I want it
This bliss
Bangla men welcome me in to be intoxicated
by their tastes
I am already enchanted, bewitched
voices wail sounding holy and sacred
they fall through me like a sigh
This wandering vagrant
Bangla Town is a strange exotic fruit
Rising through me and taking up root
Bare foot I walk with dry ,scaled lizard feet
I seep up the history of the Jews who once walked these streets.
Where the aroma of soup kitchens was so heady with perfume
it made buildings from the smoke shapes
rooms escaped from the chimney stacks
I wander down into Brick Lane
This place runs through my veins
my heart does not beat in my chest
it's obsolete
But here in Brick Lane
where I delete
all bad memories erased
my finger tips trace
walls that whisper
and I'm a good listener
Strains of Amy Winehouse
her melancholy refrain
the perfect sountrack
to bottle up my pain
Across the city
Billows of smoke smudge
a pink moon
smothering the skyline
like greedy vines
For the moment the city, it crowns
Because Camden Town is burning down.
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Comment by: fredav - 2008-05-21 11:08
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Oh man. This was one awesome read for me, Jewels. I loved how you used the line breaks, kinda like how you play with space.. it added so much to the effect of the poem. This sounded so good when read aloud. Loved the cadence as well. I haven't shelved anything in a while but this, this deserves a spot on my shelf. Thanks for sharing.
-F |
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Comment by: Beck - 2008-05-21 05:17
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Brilliant Jewels!
I spend most of my week in and around Shoreditch and Brick Lane and you've captured the feel of this completely unique part of London perfectly. I like the social commentary in there as well, Amy Winehouse, the "new cool" Shoreditch clique, the fire in Camden and the recent proposal to name the re-opening Shoreditch High Street train station Banglatown. There is so much of East London in this poem. I was a little surprised by the ending line shifting the focus to Camden but on reflection it works perfectly. Rather than East London on any day it is East London on a day of significance and that adds to the reality of the sights, sounds and feelings experienced as you take us through this culturally and historically rich area of London.
Dan |
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Comment by: Sophia - 2008-05-21 02:55
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| This is really well written, I love the rhythm and the momentum that builds throughout the poem, the images and the emotions are really strong. This is one I will be reading many times over for sure.x |
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