Do you

a conversation

remember how we usta sit

on the stone staircase by the liquor store

across the street from the specific ocean

late at night, ruminating and medicating

under a partly-cloudy sky?

 

how the minutes turned to hours

and the darkness into day as we toasted Shakespeare and

the power of literature,

the politics of war

and the glory of mead.

 

remember how we watched the world walk by

wondering how so many couldn’t see what was falling apart,

while our hearts thundered at

the outrage of apathy.

 

never mind our complicity

in the compromises made-

such a notion nineteen could not comprehend.

 

in the end, Time conquers and enthusiasm fades

as we take our place among the living dead. the rent is due,

the car won’t start and all that is left of youth

is the memory of the possibilities, the hopes left behind

on a stone staircase by the liquor store.   

Reviews

[emmajoygreen]

Powerful yet thoughtful truth.. no hidden thoughts here but the raw moment by moment realism that young people see before they're near forced to 'behave' or go 'overboard' . Your finish is as near a biography that a few near tragic sentences can be.

' in the end, Time conquers and enthusiasm fades
as we take our place among the living dead. the rent is due,
the car won’t start and all that is left of youth
is the memory of the possibilities, the hopes left behind
on a stone staircase by the liquor store.'

You write superbly, This was written way back.. wish you were still posting in here.

[Brjden (Bridge-Den) Cre..]

Oh God you hit it so strong at the end! F****n bills and rent and s**t! I love your personal account of adolescence and free living without a care in the world. This was a very nice piece!

[Siddartha Beth Pierce]

This reminds me oddly of the 'Exorcist' stairs in Georgetown as I grew up near them and it is near the liquor store everyone went to at that age and bought fireworks that were illegal in Virginia. Such a capturing of the moment of youth - of hope and longing and desire for the best and more. Really great write. Thank you.
Light,
Siddartha

[Walkingblind]

man I totally get what ur saying hear. When we're young we never understand
why older folk forget about dreams and see things as being complicated. When we
grow up we realize that they were just storing their dreams in past memories. I
hope this was what u were trying to say.

[Chloe Madison Taylor.]

Reading my review from seven months ago, and Jesus I have changed.

I hate the title, I'm not going to lie. I think that's why I haven't reread it until now.
But the thing itself is absolutely amazing.

[Authoricus]

You're one of the better writers I've read in here. Your composition and structure make and perform a beautiful symphony of words and easily conveys the thought and theme. The poem was poignant and wistful; to me, reminding me of too many mind numbing qualities of life that leaves one wishing life could continue to pass right on by.
A

[KUFU]

A lot of the time when I try to say Pacific Ocean, {I took the 'Specific Ocean' as the Mexican-American pronunciation of the Pacific Ocean. The setting you portray seems to be that of an urban one. Urbanites tend to sit on stoops and drink away the long hot nights...especially in the African American and Hispanic American communities which dominate urban communities...ahh the memories of N.Y/N.J...anyhow that's how I interpreted your use of the word} it comes out as 'Specific Ocean' haha - I wonder if you used it in the same way in that first stanza, or if it means something else entirely different? Anyway, it struck me as appealingly human [if I've interpreted it correctly].
Good work on the phonetic colloquialism in line one - "usta sit" - and I admit I'm glad the poem wasn't full of them because I personally feel like lots of it makes poetry messy, but that first one is very effective at launching the reader into the narrative voice you want us to hear.
The tone of this piece was nostalgic, and the language used interesting. I enjoyed it a lot. The last stanza had a defeated vibe to it, like conventionalism overcomes us all in the end and we get trapped - in contrast to the youthful liberation of previous stanzas, which provoked a lot of thought.

Had to use C. Boylan's review. Cubby took the most words right out of my mouth.

[Emily B]

I love the ebb and flow of this. . . the remembering another time. The easy conversation. I love it all. I'm truly sorry it took me so long to find it. Did Ivy say it was being published?????

[No]

i love how true this really is,
how we waste our lives away, trying to pretend to be carefree, and constantly striving to be perfectionistic about tomorrow while caring nothng about today, until it's gone. we wait and talk and play while the underlying truths reveal that everything we've woven into our world is falling apart.
and there's nothing to do but watch, smoke, and do the same old thing we did yesterday.
it's simple, but it's complex and i think this hits home for a lot of people.
i know it did for me.

keep writing. please.
:) julia

[Raef C. Boylan]

Forgot to say I like how the title leads us into the poem.

[Raef C. Boylan]

A lot of the time when I try to say Pacific Ocean, it comes out as 'Specific Ocean' haha - I wonder if you used it in the same way in that first stanza, or if it means something else entirely different? Anyway, it struck me as appealingly human [if I've interpreted it correctly].
Good work on the phonetic colloquialism in line one - "usta sit" - and I admit I'm glad the poem wasn't full of them because I personally feel like lots of it makes poetry messy, but that first one is very effective at launching the reader into the narrative voice you want us to hear.
The tone of this piece was nostalgic, and the language used interesting. I enjoyed it a lot. The last stanza had a defeated vibe to it, like conventionalism overcomes us all in the end and we get trapped - in contrast to the youthful liberation of previous stanzas, which provoked a lot of thought.
Great piece. Glad HH has adopted it into publication for you.
Thanks for reviewing me a while ago - sorry it's taken so long to get back to you.