its music cannot hold,
the sad cafes are
emptying
along the river bank,
the sky's washed fresh.
A boatman paddles
thinner into distance,
buffalos loll
to their ears in wet,
the paddies are pale
gold.
A garden open to the
eye,
a beach without a
footprint.
Clear and straight, I
journey
back to a time of light
no grime obscures.
Published in Universe Cat, Pariah Press (Melb.) 1985
and Secret Leopard, Alyscamp Press (Paris)
2005.
Submitted for dVerse OpenLinkNight #84.
Alas, I was too late to submit it for dVerse Poetics: Leonard Cohen and Place, where it clearly belongs.
Once upon a time I had a very romantic affair, in Bali, with the young man who first introduced me to the poems, novels and songs of Leonard Cohen. He used to sing Cohen's 'Suzanne' to me, implying that I was his Suzanne. This poem was written years after that relationship ended, when the happy memory helped me deal with some unpleasantness in my life. It's a very old poem now, but perfect for that prompt.
Alas, I was too late to submit it for dVerse Poetics: Leonard Cohen and Place, where it clearly belongs.
Once upon a time I had a very romantic affair, in Bali, with the young man who first introduced me to the poems, novels and songs of Leonard Cohen. He used to sing Cohen's 'Suzanne' to me, implying that I was his Suzanne. This poem was written years after that relationship ended, when the happy memory helped me deal with some unpleasantness in my life. It's a very old poem now, but perfect for that prompt.
