Billboards

An ekphrasis on a disintegrating billboard along a west Texas highway.

Billboards

Swim ____________

_______within_____

____________words

 

Moans the one-page

book: staggered along the highway-line, the ditch

(of course, I imagine this: quick-as-shot, then,

gone). Perfect place for a polished corpse"see how steel

can seem a skeleton"

skin, tattered slips

of what it wore:

a cheap hotel, a light bulb: blue light swimming

a havocked room, wind-torn

down

its (paper-thin) walls.

 

How that wind must have hollowed

every lamp and shade

into mascara-black: kaleidoscope fractures

pressed-upon. Penetrated,

it bled,

words spilled: still-born.

Author's Note

I'm looking for criticism. Kind words are always nice, but tough words are sometimes nicer.

Reviews

[kmartell]

brief style, is that correct... I mean, you do not become too elaborate with flowery crap. keep looking for the "thing itself" as ezra pound would say. of that you have a handle. of course all of us look for this elusive thing. to write and give the metaphor strength while not being too thinky. I did have trouble wondering exactly what it was you were saying about billboards. I like the style or what a poem has for "narrative" it is a voice which you certainly have. with a good voice you can expand the latitude and put words (taken out of your mind-space) more...that is a good voice frees us up to say fringe things and use words unbidden, ...that just come at certain appropriate times out of the empty stars and such. thanks. hope this might be helpful.

[Bree Potter]

Thank you for this! And it is most certainly helpful. As to the billboards themselves, I might try to push the tropology just a little bit harder (it's about the vapidity of words on billboards. They have no depth, and when they disintegrate, they simply leave, having produced nothing).

[Sami Khalil]

Billboadrs are attention grabers but scenery destroyers...A splendid poem...:)...............

[Bree Potter]

Aren't they, though. It is sad to think that we must always feel the force of advertising, no matter where we're at. We can't simply enjoy an old road and juniper trees, at least not without somebody trying to sell us something....wow, listen to me. I'm going to go off on a real rant if I don't take a breath! Anyways, thanks for reading, Sami.

[Sami Khalil]

Wow. So true...You are welcome...:)...............