A cool hand
cups
my ear to catch the words
sailing, assailing from your own hand-cupped mouth.
Let's
cut
out
the middleman
and with one hand
(yours or mine would be divine)
channel lips and words and breath and sound
into my eager ear.
If we were daring
we could banish hands,
sing and whisper unencumbered.
Farewell, you clumsy digits!
Your help was but a hindrance!
Unbounded, heat and softest skin
can make acquaintance with my cartilage
caress it, hum to life the tiny drum
awaiting your peculiar melody
and soft abating breezes.
Tell me, could you sing into my brain?
That route most intimate won't bring you near
enough to satiate.
So, insatiable I'll be
in my propriety.
This hand cupped to my ear may well be paper
attached to you by filthy matted string,
your words indistinguishable as a child's
through this toy telephone.
Though directness be craved,
the message may spell danger,
however sweetly breathed.
Sing full out only when the coast is clear, my dear,
until then, I have strings and paper cups and small cold hands
and I'll remain remote.
A contest entry
- Free Verse and Imagery (with a few restrictions) by LoveNLyrics.
700 points, ended March 28, 8 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 9 of 9
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I like so much of this, but the thing that pops out most on rereading is "small cold hands." On a sidenote, Lauren Shera's record label is called Such Small Hands Music.
Coincidence? Probably. But still interesting.
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this was a journey and destination
awesome and great flow to boot .. keep em penning
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p.s. i counted about seven iambic pentameter lines
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Haha. I did notice them creeping up on me. It happens across lines sometimes, too, or in bits of lines: "A cool hand cups my ear to catch the words." "If we were daring, we could banish hands." "Sing full out only when the coast is clear," "...have strings and paper cups and small cold hands." They've made appearances in most of my recentish things, and I think they add a bit of magic. I don't know exactly why I think that rhythm is so pretty.
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This. Is. Amazing.
My favorite is the first stanza. The image itself is so simple, but the way you've described it is so perfect for the rest of the poem. And I love the last two lines. -
wow
thats really good, I love how it all goes together. Normally I'm not the biggest fan of rhymed poetry, but this really is good. My favorite lines are... all of them
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hmm
don't know what i think but will comment again soon...some things i like -
i liked this. i felt like you were talking to me and there was something special in the narrative voice that got to me. nicely done!
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a very interesting piece. Definitely more descriptive than the other pieces.
"Masquerade"
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