The RetroLounge Daily Poem Thread (Mon 9/18/06)

[RetroLounge]

Antilamentation

Regret nothing. Not the cruel novels you read
to the end just to find out who killed the cook.
Not the insipid movies that made you cry in the dark,
in spite of your intelligence, your sophistication.
Not the lover you left quivering in a hotel parking lot,
the one you beat to the punchline, the door, or the one
who left you in your red dress and shoes, the ones
that crimped your toes, don't regret those.
Not the nights you called god names and cursed
your mother, sunk like a dog in the livingroom couch,
chewing your nails and crushed by loneliness.
You were meant to inhale those smoky nights
over a bottle of flat beer, to sweep stuck onion rings
across the dirty restaurant floor, to wear the frayed
coat with its loose buttons, its pockets full of struck matches.
You've walked those streets a thousand times and still
you end up here. Regret none of it, not one
of the wasted days you wanted to know nothing,
when the lights from the carnival rides
were the only stars you believed in, loving them
for their uselessness, not wanting to be saved.
You've traveled this far on the back of every mistake,
ridden in dark-eyed and morose but calm as a house
after the TV set has been pitched out the upstairs
window. Harmless as a broken ax. Emptied
of expectation. Relax. Don't bother remembering
any of it. Let's stop here, under the lit sign
on the corner, and watch all the people walk by.

Dorianne Laux

*******************

RL

If you have a request for a certain Poet, post their name in the thread and I will find a poem by them and post it...

if you want to see some of my poetry, see the blog at:
http://www.myspace.com/retropaul

[miss_american_pie]

1. She is amazing

the wasted days you wanted to know nothing,
when the lights from the carnival rides
were the only stars you believed in, loving them
for their uselessness, not wanting to be saved.

[RetroLounge]

6. she certainly is...

:hi:

RL

[Callalily]

2. Sometimes easier to

forgive others, much more difficult to forgive ourselves . . .

:hi: :hug:

[BlueIris]

3. It's amazing how quickly I will recognize one of Dorianne's poems

now, even though I haven't actually looked at her writing up close since about 2003. I have all of her books and used to see her a lot at readings in college, but I didn't really appreciate until this point (even though college simply wasn't that long ago) that she does have a style, and a lovely one at that.

[idgiehkt]

4. Wow.

This is probably my most favorite I've read here except the one by the woman that said 'cut your hair', the name of it I can't remember but it might be the same poet, I don't know.

This is amazing. Hope for the mundane, what a gift to give. I hope she's right, because I am in one of those spells of major regret right now that is just about blocking out the sun. I'm encouraged she has conviction about this.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. Good morning, my dear RetroLounge.........

Regret nothing.........

Boy do I hear that.........and I don't.........

How to empty yourself of that......and go forward in a better way!

Thank you.......:hug:

[RetroLounge]

7. ...

:hug:

RL

[BarenakedLady]

8. Wow.

That hit me something fierce. Thank you.

[RetroLounge]

9. You are welcome.

and Welcome to DU!

Please stop by the Poem Thread and say hi...

:hi:

RL

[tinfoil tiaras]

10. beautiful!

I love the detail (couldn't think of a better english term) shown in this poem...it makes me feel like I'm right there in the moment of the whole poem. And the whole message is absolutely beautiful too...regret nothing....


You've done it again RL. I <3 all the poems you post here. :hi:

[RetroLounge]

11. Thanks!

:hi:

RL