SILK ROAD FORTRESS

Inspiration from Richard Brautigan's poetry combined with the ruins of a Silk Road fortress I photographed.

Crenelated walls
of the ancient fortress
on the cold desert plateau
eroded into the centuries.
I bet the inhabitants
made strong coffee. 

Reviews

[Joyce S. Greene]

And very hot coffee, too, rutherford! I can't imagine buidling a fortress (and then manning it) on a "cold desert plateau"! Your description of the fortress is a vivid one and your comment is one that could be interpreted many ways. Strong coffee, for strong men comes to mind and strong coffe for cold and tired men is another. Very interesting, as your poems generally are.

[Rita L. Sev]

Makes me recall a camping trip, brewing the strongest java over an open fire... I love the pic, and your poem brings life to the image.

[Pryde Foltz]

You need a strong fortress to guard good coffee.

[rutherford]

You can ALWAYS work coffee into a poem.

[Pryde Foltz]

Roses are red, violets are blue, keep your stinkin' flowers, and get me a cup of brew

[Michael G. Smith]

Reminds me of Hell on Wheels tv program where the new Railroad chief of police tells his assistant the secret to a good cup of coffee is the kind of sock you use for the filter(a new one).

[rutherford]

Here's the Brautigan poem I was emulating:

ROMMEL DRIVES DEEP INTO EGYPT

Rommel is dead.
His army has joined the quicksand legions
of history where the battle is always
a metal echo saluting a rusty shadow.
His tanks are gone.
How's your a*s?

[Michael G. Smith]

I don't last line? From being shot at? The desert fox no more. Good riddance. I like this poem. Help me understand the last line.

[rutherford]

My own understanding (completely my own interpretation). He is writing a haunting poetic description of the condition German General and he suddenly turns to the reader in a very jarring way to ask how is the reader's condition. Combining a poetic part with a slap in your face comparison to hear and now. Or I could be wrong.

[Michael G. Smith]

brings the reader into the poem.