Restless by J.J. Sass at All poetry

On the inside of the zinc
roof that survived Gilbert and Ivan
a fat croaking lizard calls
the moon close to my face.

Half the window hangs under a ficus
by the rusting barbed-wire fence
braided with a vine, whose name
I learned in grade ten
Biology, but have since forgotten.

Cracks, more than fifty
years old, paint board
walls, sleep red ants. Outside

dogs bark-race
to see which one will be
first to taste a holey
Church shoe.

In a list

Missing JA • next in list

A contest entry

I like studyin' faces in parking lots, cause it doesn't remind me of anything. by hilly. 300 points, ended July 29, 2007, 10 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest

Please tell me what you think

Comments

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Grunts Girl
August 27, 2008

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the first stanza sets a time, feel and i feel such a raw real memory to it... only those who have lived under those horrid tin roofs understand and yet -- it is a warm place to be.
You reminded me there of when we hit hard times when I was a kid- just because you are poor doesn't mean you cant be happy- and.... at the time I didn't even realize it because there was beauty all around--
not sure if I am making my statement clearly or not-
that man in the moon holds dreams... by you saying its close to your face reminds me to hold on to dreams... almost like that was what you were doing....

I loved the nature scene set so vivid in stanza two...and within that nature you make a point. For me it is a point of amazing things that happen to us when we grow up. How important the name of that vine was to us back then- maybe meant points on a test or whathaveyou... but now.. our lives get so complicated and oh if things could be simple like that again. It gave me a nice feeling that section did... reminds me to remember those simple moments in my life

again the next section nature so vivid and yet i read a bit of a sting with the red ants... oh how they suck! lol to me just a few lines reminded me that there were things that stung and then on to the last section.... almost something about things we lose...

within all the vivid nature, this also took me to several emotional levels and feelings and places within me.

folks that can do that make me so happy. You give me faith along with a few others here that make reading worth while... along with commenting.

If i was wicked off base on stuff.. I am sorry -- it is just where i went within myself...
I can understand completely why this got gold
tara wilson
June 19, 2008
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love this
- J.J. Sass
  June 19, 2008
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  Thanks Tara.
- - tara wilson
    June 19, 2008
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    it's my pleasure...I have decided to go back & read your work...it will not be all at once, of course...but over the next few months...your poetry is amazing..!!
lilAj
October 30, 2007

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wow, i dont know if i've told u this b4 but i know u must have heard it several ttimes ur really talented! i've just recently started reading ur work and i must say u have this magical way of bringing the simplest of words to life! u were in ja during ivan?
- J.J. Sass
  October 30, 2007
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  Thanks so much for your kind words. I wasn't there for Ivan, but I heard all about it.
hilly
July 29, 2007
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"sleep red ants"

I like this.
- J.J. Sass
  July 29, 2007
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  Glad you do.
Peteskid
July 28, 2007

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very warm feelings of attachment to a place and the memories embedded in features that might not mean much to anyone else...very well done here...PK
- J.J. Sass
  July 29, 2007
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  I'm glad you picked that up PK. It means a lot to know that someone else could see that it means a lot.
  Thank you.