Subtle Ending

Not necessarily inspired by Ledger's death, but by the feeling of doom felt at the death of a young person and an over all sadness and pessimism that arises when death is dealt by institutions such as The Insider. Also inspired by Horses by Amos.

 

 

You don't need the light on,
To guide you through the southern land.
~Tori Amos

 

The sparrow doesn't die
Under the frost. It sings
In the oak tree and feeds
On an ancient mustard seed.

 

The horse no longer knows
What open is, what it is to be
Swallowed by the horizon and
To be tantalized by oblivion.

 

Death doesn't play with her
Food anymore. She's grownup
Now. Besides, we often play
With ourselves and take the fun

 

Away from her. The sunlight
Seemed ripe, a rain of oranges.
Lately, it's often cloudy, dark,
And still we see what's ahead.

 

Is it a premonition when what
Awaits is like a body under
A white sheet, the contour telling
What the flesh behind is like?

 

The actor's method acting proves
To be the answer to our problems.
Doesn't it? He pretended to be
A knight, a mad jester, and dead.

 

They found him acting a scene
For ever, his magnum opus,
Forever blooming like broken
Lotuses spilling their petals.

 

On his bed they found a résumé
With a sleepy headshot, pills
For that anxiety common for
Those who pretend, a toy horse,

 

A Luna moth perched on his nose,
Slowly flapping its wings like
A broken automatic door, or like
A mask that made him look like

 

Every face that stares at a television.

Reviews

[shel]

poor heath. :( ok, if not inspired by it, obviously influenced by it. the content of the first 2 stanzas...i love both of them, the images, the ideas, the pace, but i'm having difficulty connecting them to the rest of the poem. the sparrow seems to thrive in its 'confinement', while the horse's world shrinks. is this about fame, the sparrow's 'frost' a reclusive nature? the third stanza is very clever. (perhaps change 'with' to 'by' in that 4th line. :)) i *really* like the last third of the poem, esp. the 7th stanza. the broken lotuses seemed to tie into the luna moth flapping its wings...like a slow-motion effect, that final scene, a death mask. the visuals here do feel very 'cinematic'. something about 'broken automated door' is bugging me...but i can't put my finger on it. the idea is perfect, the motion, but there's something...i think it's the 'noise' i hear when i get this specific image. the lotuses and the moth and the music of it all seem well, spiritual, almost hushed. (the subtle ending!)
ok-- take it or leave it, but here's what i'm thinking right now-- i'd almost like to see the first 2 stanzas, if not cut & used to develop another piece (or, smack me over the head and maybe it will click for me, lol.) placed between the 4th & 5th stanzas. in the 6th stanza, perhaps be more subtle about the ledger connection in the last line...just enough to bring him to mind, because (sadly) it's such a common scenario. or, in time, maybe a reader won't find it so obvious, i don't know. very moving piece, regardless.