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Monday, September 27, 2010

THE WHITE HOTEL





















Down in the canyon near the white hotel
there grows a flower whose spirit
belongs more to the sky than to the earth,
and if you listen closely when the wind is right
you can hear it singing "I Get The Blues When It Rains."

Inside the white hotel our eyes met with no formal introduction.
I was a writer who had run out of ink.
You were a fly-by-nighter trying to wangle a drink--
a nun on the run who no longer made a habit
out of seeing the world in black and white.
And me, just out of seminary school,
still wet behind the ears,
but ready to get my feet wet as well.

We were like wind chimes on the verandah--
when the wind sang we all chimed in,
anthem to a blue chrysanthemum
that grows in the winding Canyon Of Love.

When you sang, you thought you were Billie Holiday.
I thought I was Billy The Kid,
so I stuck my gun in your ribs
and said, "Your honey or your life!"
We were busy as bees after that,
holing up in our hive--
room eleven-oh-five--
listening to jive and getting a buzz on.
You moved like music
and you tried every number on me you knew.

All summer I roamed your hills and valleys
where orgasms in dark chasms
brought on the rain.

When the season ended you sent me packing,
lugging your baggage and mine...
you were traveling light.

Making a bee-line for the exit,
you trampled the blossom
that longed only for the same kind of freedom.

Now I'm standing here in these juicy shoes...
JUICY SHOES?
Oh Jesus, I've got to think about that one...
think about why I drank the dank skank of your love,
when all you ever said to me was, "HELLO, ROOM SERVICE?"

Down in the street a forlorn horn
laments what should have been a foregone conclusion
to one so prone to illusion,
as the mist forms upon my window
and I think about a flower
that sang, "I Get The Blues When It Rains."








44 comments:

  1. So good! This is just brimming with terrific images.

    "I was a writer who had run out of ink.
    You were a fly-by-nighter trying to wangle a drink" - wonderful.

    "Juicy shoes" - priceless!

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  2. Oh my, wonderfully executed. I love the story line and the flow of it. Beautiful read indeed.

    P.s you just thought me one new word "chrysanthemum"

    Cheers to you.

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  3. I am glad I finally found a link that worked! Great fun piece, love the the internal rhyme and steady beat

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  4. I love it Tim!! The way you word things is brilliant!!

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  5. What a terrific story! Every line fascinating, I was glad the poem was long, didnt want it to end. "We were like wind chimes on the verandah." Beautiful, and I love the repetition of the song playing. The piece comes full circle. Highly satisfying read.

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  6. LOL witty, descriptive, sauc-say(!) and full o' joyous life. Thanks for the smile!

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  7. PATTIKEN,
    Thanks...I get juicy shoes when it rains!

    EMMANUEL,
    Thanks for your "flowery" comment!

    STEVEN MARTY G,
    Thanks dude...third time's a charm!

    CINDY,
    You are a love!

    SHERRY,
    "Loosely" based on a true story, as they say!

    STEVE,
    Happy you liked it, my man!

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  8. amazing flow...that sure was some room service...may your flower keep singing...perhaps the blues will roll away...nice one shot.

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  9. brillant...love the Billie Holiday song...your stories always read like a movie that makes you laugh and cry and just want more...always a joy to stop here...bkm

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  10. That one is so tropical - hot and steamy

    That flower always will strive for the sky - hopefully

    Nice One Shot my friend

    Moon smiles

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  11. Bittersweet and quite enjoyable, thank you for sharing this.

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  12. Incredible. Reminds me of both the high and nadir of remembering a love

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  13. I love this Tim. Great rhyming, great story; you had me smiling all the way through this. Excellent OneShot

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  14. BRIAN,
    The worst of it was that I had to recite the menu by heart each time...

    BKM,
    Thanks for your support!

    MOON,
    Hot and steamy would describe it, and that was just the inside temperature!

    LOOKSFAR,
    Gotta take the bitter with the sweet or we wouldn't know what the sweet was like. :)

    DUSTUS,
    Poetry is a way of reconciling with memory, I think.

    KKRIGE,
    And glad to see you smile I am!

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  15. I have to admit that "a nun on the run who no longer made a habit/ out of seeing the world in black and white" is going to stay with me for a while.

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  16. Hot Sexy Musical and a great story. So well told, the images popped into my head fully filmed from the blues singing flower to the Room Service dude. Excellent, crazy excellent! Gay @beachanny

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  17. I love how it ended where it began...a flower singing the blues...

    Always love reading your work, Tim. Always a pure delight :)

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  18. Splendid poem-I really like it. Great imagery!

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  19. Wow, that was like walking through an R rated fun house. The wit was like a rubber band man. Loved it.

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  20. Glad I found your place!! Brilliant poem, a delight to read.

    Will keep coming for more :)

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  21. Wow this is stunning in words and meanings but you should know not to have nun of that!

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  22. Entertaining as usual, Timoteo!

    I always look forward to reading your work.

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  23. get the blues when it rains..that was quite a summer fairy tale you took us on - enjoyed it

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  24. MAUREEN,
    I like that line too!

    GAY,
    Love your comment...I will trust your judgement! lol

    TALON,
    I like symmetry. :)

    RIVER,
    Thanks, and good to hear from you.

    JERRY,
    Rubber Band Man...yeah, he was funny! :)

    GABRIELA,
    Thanks so much--always good to hear from Africa!

    LORRAINE,
    I'd rather have nun than none at all!

    GUATAMI,
    Thanks, from here in the middle of nowhere!

    ERIC,
    Thanks for being a regular customer...you want fries with that?

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  25. At turns erotic, wistful, playful...just like love.

    Original One Shot!!

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  26. Great storytelling and excellent flow! Oh, those nuns and priests.

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  27. Great story within the poem. Excellent flow.

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  28. CLAUDIA,
    Thanks, but no fairies in this tale! lol

    TERRESA,
    Ah, that would be love at its best!

    BELINDA,
    Hey, we can only deny our true nature for so long! :)

    MAMA ZEN,
    Thanks, Mama!

    TERESA,
    Thanks, and so nice to hear from you.

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  29. Sweet---- it reminds me of that movie
    Two Mules for Sister Sarah -- with Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLain...except this one has a whole lot more substance to it.

    Joanny

    thanks for your comment, you made me laugh...

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  30. Another nun on the run fan here. Although I thought hotels had rules against fraternizing with the guests ;-)

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  31. A good post and I enjoyed reading it.. thanks for sharing...

    ॐ नमः शिवाय
    Om Namah Shivaya
    I will great if you connect with me at Twitter @VerseEveryDay to read daily #FreeHaiku on love, life and longing

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  32. Hey, 'your honey or your life' haha great read. Thanks for stopping by.

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  33. JOANNY,
    Glad you liked that!

    KOBICO,
    The room service that was provided wasn't the official room service--but, you know, a life of service can be wonderful thing! ;)

    SHASHI,
    Thanks, and I will look into that.

    BUDH.AAAH,
    Thanks...cool picture you've got there.

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  34. this was a wonderful delight...juicy shoes...orgasms...no ink..where do we begin..amazing poetry..cheers pete

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  35. PETE,
    Somehow, they all fit together...thanks, my man!

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  36. Really rich in colourful images! I absolutely loved it! :)

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  37. DOUBTFUL,
    I appreciate that--no doubt about it!

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  38. This is super beautiful.
    Thanks for linking up with potluck..
    welcome to JP.

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  39. Dear Timoteo
    Glad to be back here through Potluck.. liked reading it again..


    ॐ नमः शिवाय
    Om Namah Shivaya
    Twitter: @VerseEveryDay
    Blog: http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com

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  40. orgasms in dark chasms? no one could have written it better!

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  41. Thanks so much, JINGLE, I'm happy to be a part of Poetry Potluck! Glad you enjoyed it again, SHASHI,
    and FIVELOAF, glad you liked that line...I think we all resonate with the things that are closest to our hearts! ;)

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  42. http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/moods-are-like-dark-woods-4-potluck-week-10/

    award/treats for you.
    Happy Wednesday!

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