Liquor and Lies


Jenny and I talk about life,
fertility clinics in Spain,
a son in Australia,
skype and the last heatwave.
She has a Barry she won't marry,
likes espresso coffee
and looks fabulous at 72,
I like her retro green sunglasses
and she subtly fishes to see
if I have a man, I've learned to be coy,
I'm the girl, who is not mad
about a boy, I'm crazy for
the simple things, like peace,
painting my toe nails,
practicing my scales,
too tired of wails and wiles.

Jenny wants me to want,
I can see her in Mary Quant,
as she fried eggs in her
quaint, by the sea, guest house,
waltzing in the kitchen
and talking to guests,
watching her children grow,
sowing seeds of her life;
she is incurably curious,
and I am unabashed,
we agree, that timing
is more than miming.
Jenny is sweet to the ego,
she is convinced I am young,
thinks I am wasted
on water and sighs,
I think I am sated
on liquor and lies



Poetry by Elle The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 601 times
Written on 2013-08-17 at 19:29

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Ah, you are lucky to have a Jenny. And vice versa.
2013-08-19


Chaucer Whethers The PoetBay support member heart!
You have your own patented brand of narrative thread Elle with which you embroider vignettes of excellent crafting.
2013-08-19


countryfog
I've run out of ways to comment and commend your writing, your gift for the details and instinct and insight of those who come into your life, even if only briefly also profoundly, revealing yourself through them. The reference to Mary Quant for example (who "encouraged young people to dress to please themselves and to treat fashion as a game") is your usual way of saying more than you've actually said. I can write the nuances of a landscape but I've never had the sensibility for people that you do, you remind me how great a failing and how large a loneliness that is.
2013-08-18


Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
This is delightful, Elle. It seems as if you're always meeting someone for coffee or drinks, and each encounter leads to a fine poem. I especially enjoyed these lines:

too tired of wails and wiles.

I think I am sated
on liquor and lies
2013-08-18



As I grow older I find myself seeking out even older people to learn how to grow older 'gracefully,' assuming there is such a thing. Your Jenny seems to have managed that well. Seems to me that 'pairing up' becomes less of a priority and the main focus is to find out what really makes us happy (a project in itself) and then to pursue that unrelentingly. Other things just seem like distractions or digressions.

Our true friends sometimes miss the point--what makes them happy might not be quite right for us. A really good friend, though, accepts us for what we are and respects the place where we are in our lives. Sound like Jenny is wise enough to realize that.

Love the internal rhymes that clearly reflect your musical background.
2013-08-18


josephus The PoetBay support member heart!
Well written, Elle and I know and feel the sentiment! :-)
2013-08-17



There is a full on ease in your writing which I truly admire:)
2013-08-17