The Little B*****d

The Little B*****d

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I  wish I'd seen him in Fairmount

with a Stetson hat, blue jeans, and boots;

or with his collar turned up on a rainy day

before he crashed through

the intersection

of folklore and fame.

Before his sleek silver Spyder

caught death in its web

and a thousand pounds of metal

disfigured his boyish smile.

I'll bet those white lines on the road

resembled the seconds counting down

until the ferocious thunderclap

of eternity.

He roared through life faster than

a silver Triumph motorcycle

through the streets of Indiana.

The Spyder is gone,

his high school is gone,

he's gone.

Death replaced his lines,

and that wasn't part of the script.

Author's Note

James Dean was an American actor who died in a car crash in 1955. He made only three movies but he became very popular among young people of that era for his perceived rebellious persona. He named his car the little bastard.

Reviews

[Vol]

He did,
and the likes of him today are seeming soulless shadows angstless snowflakes. True representations of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern... but they are also dead.
Vol

[Relic]

Thanks for the comment Vol. I never studied Hamlet but I know what you mean. :)

[Desert Knave]

WOw. A great tribute to a short-lived legend. ~Jim

[Relic]

Thanks very much for the comment. :)

[Marie]

A very informative write about the late James Dean, the rebel without a cause! I learned through your finely penned tribute to him, the name he had for his car, something I didn't know. He was handsome and charming with a magnetic personality. Back then, so many young up and coming stars lost their lives in the process. I love this tribute to a shining star of the silver screen, dear R...It is masterfully penned and I enjoyed reading very much. Thank you for sharing, dear friend...

[Relic]

Thank you so much for your comment on this one, Marie. It's much appreciated.

[Marie]

Most welcome always, dear R ..

[Poetic Beauty]

I am 45 years old and knew you were talking about James Dean. I watched old movies with my grandparents as a child. He was definitely Mr. Charismatic. Many gone too soon. Life in the fast lane will do that sometimes. I loved this poem talking about him.

[Relic]

Thanks PB. I always appreciate your comments. :)

[Poetic Beauty]

You are most welcome. I use to watch Brando more vie and all sorts of others with my grandparents. Fun fact when I watch black white movies my brain actually sees them in color lol

[Relic]

lol I never heard of that before. :)
Dean was compared to Brando many times. And Brando had a chance to narrate a documentary on Dean but turned it down.

[Poetic Beauty]

I believe they had a bit of a rivalry. And yes I guess my brain just imagines what the colors are suppose to be. Always been that way for me.

[Relic]

I like old black and white films. There's something about them...maybe it's the charm of nostalgia or something.

[Poetic Beauty]

There is definitely something about them. I do enjoy old black and whites. When I watch Carmen Maranda movie were she wear the fruit on her head I saw it in color and I always pictured the dress yellow

[Relic]

It's a shame how she died. I think she fell and they found her dead in her hallway.

[Poetic Beauty]

I don’t know that much about her but as a kid I loved that movie and the way she danced

[Relic]

Yeah, she was a great dancer for sure, which makes it kind of ironic that she fell and died.

[Poetic Beauty]

That is a bit of twisted fate

[FGFRANKLIN]

Came back to read this one again. Death is written into all our scripts in the final curtain call. I was never much of a James Dean fan although I saw all his movies. I was always a Marlon Brando fan and Dean seemed in the same vein but a bit overdramatic for my tastes. Brando played bongos and when he heard that Dean had taken up bongo playing he smiled and asked his friend, "Really, is he any good?" The friend said, No, he's awful. Brando laughed at that. But you have written a great tribute to JD here and it's a wonderful piece that I enjoyed reading.

[Relic]

haha, I believe the part about the bongos, and yeah, Dean did over-act a bit. Thanks for the comment. :)

[Lorry]

He was smooth, with a capital SMOO!
So SMOO in fact, that he didn't even live long enough to join the fabled 27 club. Now that is a short life, but what a lot he fit into it.
I still pay homage to him on a daily basis. He was the rebel without a cause and I am the rebel without a clue.
I also pay my own homage to him by not being in the slightest bit cool, proving something like shines the brightest if you don't live long enough to start ageing in dog years. I was always terrible at quotes...
That should be my eulogy! 😊

[Relic]

lol Maybe mine to. Thanks for the comment, Lorry. :)

[Joanne Hanscome]

I can still remember him and how handsome he was. He was a really cool guy. Can never forget the time era that he lived with us. Nicely written, really enjoyed it.

[Relic]

Thank you for your comment, Joanne. :)

[AYVID N]

I've read so much about this legendary actor ever since childhood. This poem has described him perfectly. An icon taken too soon, a young man killed tragically by speed. It wasn't part of the script but almost nothing in life ever is....This is a great tribute to James Dean. Loved it.

[Relic]

I appreciate your comment very much, divya, thank you. :)

[AYVID N]

You are most welcome Relic.

[John the Baptist]

Live fast, die young. He was a great talent, but it's sad we only saw them posthumously.

[Relic]

It is, John. Thanks for reading and the comment.

[willweb]

I have read stories about the car and where it ended up but nothing definitive. He was an icon and still is. As long as artists, yourself included my friend, keep his name alive, he will live forever. This was fantastic.

[Relic]

Wow! Thanks very much, Willweb. I appreciate your kind comment. :)