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absorbing the culture

Lunch-box mudded
with leftovers of a jungle gravesite.
Against the cinder, I formed new muscles,
pressing copper into the chase.
Miguel San Vasquez;
something or other,
sweat through chalked flannel.

"Cuidado!"

Scaffold broke limbs,
a compound fracture,
four Peruvians dropped Dewalts.
Only way to hang on really,
while the lathing shaved

fingerprints down to meat.

 

"Ayuda!"

 

Half-formed framing

exposed the masked plenums,

needing a tie-in

before the final inspection.

A Columbian spews out

to protect his family.

 

"Inmigración!"




Author notes

construction site aka free liguistic studies

A contest entry

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Comments

1 - 10 of 10

  • BluesMan gold member
    June 13, 2008
    Edit | Reply

    Some times the cost of becoming is almost to dear a price to pay Thank you for entering my contest


  • j-ay rose
    June 9, 2008

    Edit | Reply
    i never realized how fluent in spanish my team leader was until this morning when she was talking to the mexican/hispanic people that work at my job. & thissss poem reminded me of that.


  • Nothing But No
    May 30, 2008

    Edit | Reply
    This was brilliant and I must say, slightly comical. I'm not sure if it was intended or not but it was to me I suppose that's the beauty of imagery and the mind mixing together I'll have commented all your wonderful work in no time lol

  • ecrivain01
    May 19, 2008

    Edit | Reply

    Helluva write bud ...

    and it would get a lot of attention in some quarters.



  • LaPoetaSinLimites
    May 18, 2008

    Edit | Reply

    vivid

    I especially like the imagery of the lines:

    "while the lathing shaved
    fingerprints down to meat."

    P.s. It is spelled "colombian" by actual colombians


  • Bean Sidhe silver member
    May 16, 2008

    Edit | Reply

    I dig it!

    Ok, so I dig this one too. The premise of all different cultures meeting up at a construction site is pretty interesting. Brilliant worked. Good luck in the contest.


  • islekine gold member
    May 15, 2008

    Edit | Reply

    I agree with Boomer!

    You could have won PO with this! Love it. Love the mix of languages...gives it IMPACT.
    and of course your ending!
    Write on. Best wishes in your contest!
    *PEACE*


  • Flight of Dragons
    May 15, 2008

    Edit | Reply
    Cool. I like how you twisted you topic with your words. You usually are an amazing writer. I had a bit of a time fallowing it, and I think I've here better from you. Still a great read though, good job.


  • aboomer silver member
    May 15, 2008

    Edit | Reply
    I love all the construction wording you've brought into this to give a vivid picture of accidents happening at sites, and the language differences of the workers. And how most of the workers are immigrants - many without the training they need to be doing work that can be so dangerous.
    LOVE your wording. This is easily another of yours that could have taken a PO award!
    Excellent!
    best wishes in your contest.


  • malmadre gold member
    May 15, 2008

    Edit | Reply
    Truly construction site conversations would sound like the tower of babel to me, not to sound demeaning but I only know one language. Very descriptive with the setting and the words injected between the verse brings your idea together. Different cultures are all around us, if we just listen and observe.

1 - 10 of 10