From the couch, he reads and chats;
A sage of antiquity & homosexual poetry.
Just outside Rome, his terrace blooms Jasmine.
Wide open windows & White lace beckon the breeze,
And it comes, and it comes well.
Books are piled and stacked, but not at random.
He makes time for pillows, telephone, and tea.
To speak slowly, because he listens quickly,
And gives freely to all, but the gecko
Paintings of mutating people, and animals abound;
But there will be no perch for the gecko.
Turning down
For the night
He reaches for
His bedside light
To find instead
A cold green critter
You could say
He was a twitter
But no blow came
He left instead
To fetch the can
Of "ant be dead"
Returned he then
To aim his spray
'Till empty can
& Gecko lay
Do geckos pray?
They should today.
Cursing softly, and almost pleasantly with guilt.
The Italian book collector casts the creature out.
Its poor wretched death mask fixed, and color gone.
He turns around, clears his bed, and clicks on a fan.
Thirty minutes post, asleep, he dreams a gecko funeral.
In the morning, with fresh juice, he peers from his balcony.
All evidence is missing, not a trace, and when asked "why
he hates the gecko?" He thinks a moment, but then
spots a book that he would love to show you instead.
Because, some dreams do come true.
Author notes
For an Old Gay Teacher Of Mine In Rome.
Written December 17th, 2003
In a list
What did you think
Comments
1 - 33 of 33
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waxworms urgh what are they i am afraid i only like my penguin pets down here at the refuge for deliquent penguins and i just feed then cakes and chocolate milk worms would frighten them as they are very delicate delinquents i think it was all that ice and snow and raw fish that flipped their minds.theres a real charity sending out knitted jumpers to penguins whos feathers got ruined by the oil.and wellies they definitely need wellies. its great how you wrote all this in such a detached way it was really enjoyable and i shall remember it as part of a film really i can see myself forgetting it was a poem somehow.anyway it was good as usual you never fail xxxx
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it's the last option.
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I need the option number in the author's comment box before I comment on this poem. Thanks
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amazing. and he's very soft. but mostly its his black eyes i love. -
tongue action aye?
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and we love to watch him catch wax worms. -
My son has an African Fat Tailed Gecko named Tiger. His eyes are absolutely gorgeous. And he is beautiful. -
Interesting. I rarely find center justification does anything for enjoyment of a poem rather distracts it for me actually but that is one of the aspects of Poetry so interesting all the various opinions.
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I think that there are some poems that absolutely need to be centre justified, and this is one of them. The symmetry of the shape and the contrast between the centre part that deals with the gecko seem to me to be an integral part of this. And the phallic association is also entirely relevant.
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The gecko represents a rare beautiful male hustler.
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Yes, a lover. I believe I approached the poem having heard this story second hand.
And trying to make sense of the psychology behind it and metaphor... I myself, was left still wondering what it could mean. But I rather enjoy that sensation, because, like in life, we move on to the next story, event, or creature. I used the gecko because their eyes see everything, but they're slow to get out of the way, and rare. -
P.S. I still dislike center justifies. Thought that middle part does look like a bit phallic.
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I remember reading this ages ago. I was looking for my comment but maybe you deleted and reposted?
Anyway, the middle section is the chorus and you can't help yourself because you are a musician first I think. So knowing that the twitter spitter or whatever it is makes me kind of smile.
I think the Gecko is you or someone you knew. I think the myth could be that there was a great love between same sexes and openly appreciated without the wanton agressiveness of todays supposedly moral code of ethics - and yet always conflict of some sort. I think this person teaches many wonderful things -- but potentially also takes advantage of those he cares for. But I've been known to make shit up all the time when it comes to reading your poems and others it was what started my affection for your poetry ages ago there was room for me to play inside.
Good luck.
Edited on Feb 10, 1:53 p.m. because 'cause i can'. -
This is a really well executed poem. The free verse provides a fine description of the aging, civilised professor and his rather fastidious way of life. The imagery conveys his refinement and delicacy with the description of his home, his books and the jasmine in his garden.
His links to the past – “sage of antiquity” – and its rituals – “time for … tea” in the first section of free verse and the civilised conversation of the second free verse section – “a book he would love to show you instead” contrast with the short lines and rhymes of the centre section, where we see the way that the gecko is able to disturb his equilibrium and turn him into a lethal user of “ant be dead”. (Although I had doubts about the rhyme of ‘critter’ and ‘twitter’.)
I’m not sure that this is really a contrast between modern life and a traditional form or theme – after all the abrupt rhymes of the central section are, in a sense, more traditional than the free verse – but the whole thing works really well.
For me, the main problem of the poem is the gecko and what it means. I have tried quite hard to work out what this central image is intended to symbolise but confess to failure. My sense is that the intention is something very specific, but all I have been able to come up with (helped by Google and a number of friends) are general reptilian associations. Is there anything beyond a link to salamanders, alchemy and the conspicuous consumption of flies? Is this a general threat to the order of his life or a person, perhaps a lover?
My conclusion is that even a quite careful reader will find the poem a bit impenetrable because, without an understanding of the central image, the poem is evocative but remains elusive.
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What stands out for me in this is how craftily subtle it is. While not exactly a 'parable' it has that feel to it. There are many little gems in this, which find their way into the reader as if they are almost made of air.. they stand out but it's not until one goes back once or twice that the grounding in their weight begins to take on that .. tone so often caught in any great piece of writing. The one that makes you think twice then smile at the perfect simplicity of it.
Excellent .. and good luck. -
Thanks very much for the entry. This is just a note to let everyone know that I'm working through all the poems that have come in and I intend posting my notes when the contest closes. Until then, keep well, vic
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I reread this one, and I think that my critique is flawed because I just don't understand the poem. I am sorry. I think it is well written, but above my head. The idea of the gecko dying really tugs at my heart, but I have a feeling there is an underlying meaning that I am just not getting. Could the gecko be a student who simply wasted the teacher's time? And so he allows them to fail without trying to reach them, and he centers his attention on the students who are more outstanding?
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Enjoyable Read
I have absolutely NO IDEA why I like this one, but I do. Though I am a bit peeved with the guy for being so mean to the gekko. I am not always good at making it through wordy writes, but I found myself reading it from start to finish without having to back track. You were able to paint quite a detailed picture without losing me to the words. -
The set up was very interesting. I liked the message though. Not a bad write. You are marked for a second run as well. Good job.
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The tone is what sets this apart from most of the poems on this site. It is a polished, confident work--it shows your command--or so I think. I like the possibilities that are inherent in the gecko--whether a literal interpretation or a metaphorical one, it is an enjoyable read.
I truly enjoyed the poem, and lines like,
Books are piled and stacked, but not at random
shows a deeper level to your poetry than most writers on this site are capable of.
People will be put-off by the sexual orientation issue--but then again people tend to be put-off by a lot of things--tolerance isn't their greatest strength.
I'm done--time to go slay my own geckos.
Edited on Dec 05, 1:19 p.m. because ''. -
I like geckos, I think they're cute. This is a great portrait of an elderly man, I had a clear view from your description. Thanks for joining our contest.
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This was
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cool
good one. i found it quite strange and amusing. I like the first and third stanzas. wonderful. -
Horus: As much as I love your poetry and this is no exception, the beauty of it with the Greek mentor and the young man is classical. Yet the difficulty is trying to find out where it fits to the criteria of this contest. That does not take away the exquisiteness of what you have penned here. Thanks for entering this contest. Gregg
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this was a great poem - not an a to z story yet it was complete. i loved the ending.
billy -
I guess you must not have noticed that the contest judge is only 6 years old. This is inappropriate, and I won't let him judge it for his contest.
It's a great poem, just not suitable for a child to judge.
Thanks,
~whisper -
intresting read although i have read it before this time it was like new well done
spank you
naughty -
I just wanted everyone to read this who was reading your poem.
hours8 said: "I have a friend in Rome that told me this great story about his fear of Geckos, and then I made my pet chicken eat it. Afterwards, upon killing the chicken and feeding it to my drats and dillmommas (kids, bisexual housewives) I had an epiphany. So I called the union of L Rons, and they granted permission to my nostril hairs to write this. Which I then did, in my den, on my stuffed prehistoric saddled tadpole. What other information do you need?"
You know, some people reading this poem might try to read into the symbolic meaning of gecko. Give your nostril hairs my thanks. Quite a funny story.
Edited on Dec 23, 6:03 p.m. because 'because'. -
Pretty surreal. If it is satire I don't know what it is a satire of. Do you want to give us any information besides your sexual orientation?
Or would that play into the hands of the scientologist union?
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Perhaps, I'm fibbing, and am really a spy for the West Hollywood Scientoligist union?
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Wonder why you had to explain your sexual preference in the author's comment. Open minded readers could really care less if you are gay or not. So your mentor was gay, oh well, it's his life.
The poem was well written, and sort of funny with a bit of sattire.
Thanks for sharing.
Renee
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STUNNING!!!! First and last stanzas were gorgeous, such gorgeous images and words....bravo, keep writing
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This poem moved me! It was great, I enjoyed, and I hope you make many more poems like this! (Clicks favorites button) you could be like…the next Robert frost with material like this! Maybe you’d like some of my work too? Anyway…..back to you…. So I really enjoyed this and plz im me next time you write a poem because I REALLY LOVED this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I’ll see you later and plz DON’T STOP WRITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111
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