Fashionably Arrive

However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. - Thoreau

Wedge of syruped moon in a julep sky.

Three-leafed sprig of mint like the Trinity wondering why.

Another whiskeyed night.

Wishing they could, wishing they might.

Nowhere to go.

No key needed.

'Not guilty' has already been pleaded.

Vagrants and vagabonds.

Clutching little.

Blessed with God's own spittle.

Anointed with a balsamic balm.

Like an eternal psalm.

Born again every night.

In alleyways of cardboard mangers.

Bordering slanted sidewalks.

Lined with clandestine curbs.

Toting duffels of life's heavy burdens.

Bedbugs serenade.

Preserved in a bitter marmalade.

Beatitudes cry out at the midnight hour.

Like a sermon on the mount.

Flesh that once thrived.

Now deprived.

Perhaps they're the ones already at the soirée and we're late so that we can ...

... fashionably arrive ...

Author's Note

"Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends. Turn the old; return to them. Things do not change; we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts. God will see that you do not want society." - Thoreau

Reviews

[Crowley]

Thoreau, an endless bag of great quotes and ideas. I felt like I was walking the street in the big city, not just form the pics but from the words that hang heavy and dark. The societal conundrum of the have and have nots and wondering who is actually happier. I liked the tone and the gallop of this, makes me feel like I have arrived fashionably late to your word party. Great stuff.

[Pete]

an important question to be weighed. thank you Crowley ... :)

[Einstein Noodle]

great pics ... are they yours?? both are sharp poignant pieces says i! i like the free form ..has easy rhythm to it ... challenging, hyperbole ... "...syruped moon in a julep sky." i almost have to go to an alien place to picture them ;) as a very young and foolish man i "gypsied" around our country a bit and was privileged to spend time with various and sundry "homeless" people ... your poem does well to bring them to the forefront as a very real part of our world ... tho they mostly hide themselves .. it does us well to remember them and maybe even visit from time to time ... one can volunteer at shelters, places where meals are served (maybe actually sit and eat with them) i have vivid memories of the colorful characters that i met even after all of 50 yrs or so ... any way ;) ... the cardboard mangers ... (slept in one once ..quite cozy) closing 2 lines are brilliant says i ... the split between haves and "alleged" have nots and your just right sarcasm and irony are so well put ...
E.

[Pete]

thanks so much E. your thoughts are very relevant, having spent time with this usually overlooked segment of society. sort of "out of sight", "out of mind" even though we could be one step away from it ourselves. there is a story everywhere if our eyes are open and our hearts are receptive ... :)

[Pete]

pics are not mine ... :)

[Einstein Noodle]

:) .............. you are so right ...it could happen in a flash :{