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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

YOU












For One Shot Wednesday

I first saw you pouting
in the magazine I hid in my bedroom
when I was twelve--
the year I resolved that breasts
were the coolest thing since Elvis Presley
I was looking for the secret in your eyes
but they never revealed it...
and I still don't know who you are

I was eighteen
a bit of a late bloomer
you already a faded rose
when you gave me that first driving lesson
in the front seat of my Chevy--
and though you'd been around the block
you failed to warn me that a steering wheel
lodged in one's butt crack on a deserted Missouri backroad
makes for an unsteady ride


Seventeen summers were yours
and I'd chalked up twenty-two
on the night of our first cautious caress
all the perfumed blossoms and you
sending me into sensory overload
I was getting good in the clinches
and there in your backyard you pleaded with me
to climb through your bedroom window
and go for the gusto
play it fast and loose while your parents--
too square to have a clue--
were zonked out down the hall

Discretion proved the better part of valor
until the night at Fat Bruce's house
where we made up for lost time--
sleepless in Cedar Rapids--
while he scoured the city for belladonna
or nutmeg
or anything that might give him some altitude

You left me high and dry in Key West
when you hit the road with my friend...
and I still don't know who you are

I met you again in the summer
in Panama
where you told me I must have had some upbringing
because I held my fork continental style
not realizing I was left-handed
and it just seemed a more natural way to maneuver
Back at the hotel we put the moves on each other--
every afternoon the rains came
and we followed suit
I screwed
my companions
and we headed north in your green Beetle

When we had used up all of Latin America
you dumped me at the Newport Beach bus station
with fifty bucks left in my pocket
trying to explain how you didn't like goodbyes...
and I still don't know who you are

Once I stole you away from my buddy
who had spent one night with you
and showed up at your room the next morning
to find us tangled among the sheets

You said you'd once worked as a courier
for certain underworld concerns
and the aura of intrigue
clung to you like cobweb

Trying to clear customs
from a three day sojourn to Curacao
we were invited into the back room
for an intimate inspection of our belongings...
and I still don't know who you are

One winter you took the elevator
up to the radio station in Penthouse One
I slapped on the long version of
"In--A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
and stood monitoring its progress
through the plate glass window
as you got into the groove
and did what you said you'd do over the phone--
on your knees there on the roof garden
the lights of San Juan shimmering around us

When your girlfriend came outside
I flinched
you didn't miss a beat...
and I still don't know who you are

I've seen you on the streets of
LA
New York
London
and Paris
brushing by me as you head in the opposite direction
and I study your face for the answer

You've dogged my tracks
and I've hounded your trail
through so many lifetimes
I've lost count
and still you return--
to a poetry gathering
where you try to be inconspicuous
but I know that you're here
for when I glanced around the room
our eyes locked for just a moment
then you looked away...

YOU know who you are



42 comments:

  1. Blown away. Honestly, there is such a unique quality to your wordplay. Thanks for sharing it. Love and Light, Sender

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  2. Oh..you found out Mr. Goodbar and showed him in his true light. Excellent write. You rocked me around the world and I was glad to have the ticket to ride! Great write! Thanks, Gay

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  3. Or should I have said Ms. Goodbar? oops. Must have read it from my own perspective the first timme. :)

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  4. This is so f'ing good I am pissed that I did not think of it myself. Very jealous!

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  5. What a life story. I am loving this and like Steve MG, wish I would have thought of this first. Excellent.

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  6. L O V E I T!!!!! this is too good! really mind blowing..intense, flowing and excellent word play..:)

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  7. Wow Tim, I feel like that is always my comment to you, but it is WOW!! You always wow me :)

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  8. wow. that was epic...and through it all you watched her as she dicovered who she was and in the end i wonder if you know who she is yet...smiles. excellent one shot!

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  9. What a journey! Damn.... Many lifetimes encapsulated in a poem.

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  10. SENDERUPWORDS,
    Love and light to you, and thanks for your beautiful comment.

    BEACHANNY,
    Ms. Goodbar, I like that!

    STEVEN,
    I consider that high praise coming from you, my man!

    MONKEY MAN,
    Thanks so much...sometimes all one needs to do is to recall life events and put them down on paper. :)

    DESERT ROSE,
    I love it that you love it!

    CINDY,
    Hey, thanks for your loyalty, my friend!

    BRIAN,
    Well, who she is...is "EVERYWOMAN," and no, I will never completely know who that is. ;)

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  11. You always get me on the go...thinking oh no...than I have to read more...than I have to read more...who is this woman...yours stories are a wonderful treat....keep falling for this woman....she is good for you....bkm

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  12. I liked going through this journey of your life.

    Do you really want to know who she is?

    ode to un-puntuated verses

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  13. Loved going on this journey with you. I think finding this woman will take a life time of discovery.

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  14. That refrain -- "and I still don't know who you are" is haunting. The whole poem is haunting. And unsettling. And excellent.

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  15. simply mindblowing words.. i loved the flow and the sequences.. loved it.!!

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  16. a great journey that has no end
    fitted with "and I still don't know who you are" that could be directed at anyone and everyone. cool poem

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  17. Tim, this was so good. I feel bad that she is out there somewhere...and not with you...but I like that she is there somewhere...

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  18. Well that's an epic or is that a whirlwind?
    and she is just around every corner...

    Nice one my friend - thanks for sharing with One Shot

    Moon smiles - around the corner

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  19. Positively cinematic poetry, with potent emotional content.

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  20. Caught your link from 1SW, what an amazing poem. Taking the general and making it intimate & personal in your inimical style makes for great reading. With such a large scope and a geographically diverse setting, I am impressed by the clarity of your story. The overlay between movement towards illumination and chasing/being chased is refreshing. Thanks for posting, I look forward to reading more.

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  21. what a beautiful longing,
    as long as she is in your thoughts,
    there is hope...

    beautiful sentiments,
    lovely plotted.

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  22. what a journey you took us on - wow!
    and i guess not only she knows who she is..smiles

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  23. not knowing is what will make her unforgettable...you bring such emotions, that's cool

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  24. HOL-EE COW! There is enough material in this poem to fuel your writing for decades! This is freaking GOOD stuff! I had a ball! Thanks!

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  25. You have certainly taken me on quite a ride. Great One Shot. I echo the sentiments of the others. A cinematic view of a life-long angst. So close yet still so far away, just out of reach. Touchable and untouchable at the same time. A woman of intrigue and mystery.

    "You said you'd once worked as a courier
    for certain underworld concerns
    and the aura of intrigue
    clung to you like cobweb"

    Love these lines. Thanks for stopping by!

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  26. Stellar One Stop! I am never disappointed with your work, Timoteo. You write the way I wish I could.

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  27. I am speechless. This is brilliant.

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  28. OneShot in honoured....wow..that was a magnificent poem...truly great...and on a side note i picked up on cedar rapids as i had family that used to live there before moving to el paso..as i said a pure side note...cheers for the wonderful share pete

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  29. BKM,
    Thanks...I guess I should clarify that it's not about one woman, but a series of them--each of whom belongs to that class of EVERYWOMAN--or women in general who remain mysterious to most men!

    GUATAMI,
    In a way I'd like to know, but then I think the mystery is what keeps men and women attracted to one another.

    KB,
    More than one lifetime!

    GLYNN,
    Do we ever really know another?

    PRIYANKA,
    Thanks for checking in!

    KKRIGE,
    I think you've caught on.

    TALON,
    Somewhere...and everywhere.

    MOONDUST,
    Around every corner, waiting to be cornered!

    STEVE,
    Love that term, "Cinematic Poetry."

    CARIBBEAN,
    Thanks for your insightful comment!

    JINGLE,
    All the way! :)

    CLAUDIA,
    True--her cover has been blown.

    LORRAINE,
    Part of the eternal mystery (just like you).

    SHERRY,
    So glad you enjoyed it!

    COLLECTIVE EPIPHANIES,
    Those may be my favorite lines too!

    ERIC,
    Much appreciated, my friend.

    MAMA ZEN,
    You are cool.

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  30. Wow, wow, wow! This is so good. I LOVED it. It was almost like a movie. I wonder if you will ever find out who "she" (in all her iterations) is. I'm guessing not, since I think it rare if any of us ever really do.

    Thanks for visiting my place, and for noticing my designer outfit. ;-)

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  31. That was great! :) I will enjoy reading your work too. :) River

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  32. Incredible writing...I'm looking forward to reading more of your work.

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  33. Beautiful work, well-composed and wittily done. Loved it. Can't wait to read more of your work.

    - bill

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  34. PATTIKEN,
    Thanks...and the outhouse is such a flattering color!
    RIVER,
    Thanks for coming by!

    LIVE2WRITE,
    Looking forward to having you. ;)

    BBEJAY,
    Thanks...more on the way!

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  35. Wonderfully written!:D A great journey:P

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  36. Hey go to my blog , I have something for you!

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  37. And the chase continues...What a wonderful exploration of sexuality - from its earliest tentative interludes to the more jaded experiences. Each interlude told with mastery of poetic form.

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  38. RIIKAINFINITYY,
    Thank you my dear, and one day I'll memorize how to spell your name without peeking! lol

    CINDY,
    You're the best! I'll be posting that soon!

    KERRY,
    Your comment was poetry to me!

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  39. I read this a few days ago and felt overwhelmed (in a good way) by the details yet mystery of it all and by the ups and downs of a lifetime of romances. I came back to take it all in again and comment- I agree with Sherry - you could write for decades with what you have in this poem. Amazingly written - keep it up!

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  40. SHE,
    I think you are right, and each one of these scenes may well be elaborated on sometime in the future. Your comment is well appreciated!

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  41. Your poetry delights and intrigues me. I also like the rhythms of your poetry. Interesting man, you are. Hugs, pat

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  42. PAT,
    I'm happy that we've discovered one another!

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