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Friday, May 20, 2011

THIEF OF MOMENTS








June 7, 2011







Beware the Thief Of Moments
for although I am near you
in a casual way
you will not suspect
that I have come to rob you
of your secrets
just to hold a piece of your essence
next to my heart

Shagging what you toss to the wind
as you stroll through the park with your lover
the random bits of conversation
you feed each other
like morsels from a picnic lunch
become my sustenance
tormented by this inexplicable need
I must devour your words
so that I may live

Did you ever hear about
the ice cream wars in Montana?

The guys who ride around in trucks
peddling frozen delights
while the music blares from their speakers
the competition is so fierce
they try to horn in on each other's territory
sometimes one chases the other down the street
trying to shoot his tires out
while the children watch
and the music plays merrily on

I lifted that from a couple guys
at the gas pumps
they were filling their tanks
and unwittingly
filling mine as well

A young blonde
no more than seventeen
beautiful
with that girl-next-door look
sitting with her friends at the mall
I walk by and hear her say
I know it was a hazing
but bamboo shoots up my bum?

That was a tiny lunch
but strangely satisfying

In a department store
a woman clings to her shopping cart
for support
something is wrong with her foot
I can't walk on it honey
she says to her husband
I can't walk on it

There is a silence

Then STAND on it
comes his icy reply

This leaves a bitter taste in my mouth
but it is sustenance just the same

I am the Thief Of Moments
and I must devour your words
so that I may live

A moment
once shared
becomes a conspiracy
the accomplices like revolutionaries
plotting in the torch light
of underground chambers

I am the spy in your midst

You will never know of my betrayal
until it appears in a poem somewhere

A moment is such a long time
when it lives forever

26 comments:

  1. That's what they get for blabbing their conversation (or at least their half of the conversation) where everybody can hear it.

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  2. The ice cream wars do not surprise me one bit.

    Bamboo shoots!! Don't hear that too often.

    Keep spying. It's goooood stuff.

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  3. WOW! I so love this!!!! The thief of moments, picking up these incredible exchanges - the bamboo shoots - OUCH! Also ouch the icy husband.

    Loved this poem. I could see you, and the people you overheard, so well.

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  4. a waste
    each second lost
    thus grasp at speeding time
    and cling to every moment caught
    the gem

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  5. Wow...love the tribute to concise pockets of meaningful dialogue.

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  6. Very interesting. It makes you view things from a different perspective. Thanks. My potluck: http://verseinanutshell.wordpress.com/2011/05/17/outline/

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  7. Gorgeous - it reminded me of Elliot

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  8. This is just wonderful, Tim. I love the tongue-in-check, almost-rambling voice and the premise behind this. Ice cream wars in Montana. lol

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  9. Tidbits of reality, packaged into a beautiful poem! Here is mine: http://jaanpehchaan.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/no-pain-no-gain/

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  10. Thanks for the comment and visit.
    Also...thanks for the wonderful poem.
    "A moment is such a long time when it lasts forever."

    lovely thought
    Jaye

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  11. I love the concept of this poem and brilliantly written!

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  12. A conversation stalker, all in the name of art, of course. Sounds addictive.

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  13. overheard conversations can be so tantalizing, and a great way to find some inspiration. good job

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  14. JAYE,
    Welcome aboard! Your writing certainly has what I consider to be the most important element, and that is passion!

    JESSICA,
    I love to see new faces here, and folks, Jessica is an intriguing writer!

    JAANPEHCHAAN,
    Nice to see you...maybe someday I'll memorize how to spell your name!

    V FURNAS,
    Thanks so much for joining the party here!

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  15. All those moments, haphazzardly tossed about, being snagged in flight and used to make an important poem, take on new and deeper meanings when tacked on a wall. Excellent poem. Thanks for sharing.

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  16. DAN,
    Hey, thanks for that assessment!

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  17. a tasty treat these stolen moments have brought together. I devoured them...some with a smile of pleasure...others with the bitterness of a frown.

    quite an enjoyable read!

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  18. Starving for conversation, Timoteo?
    I think I'll have to agree with Evelyn...this is somewhat creepy!

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  19. dang, i like it...you capture the underbelly of society in many ways...the things we wish no one heard or would think us to say or do and drag it into the harsh light...strong piece...thoroughly enjoyed even with the sting....

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  20. Last line's a killer. And the concept is indeed creepy. I'm more of the opinion we throw our moments away--maybe it's the Recycler of Moments?

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  21. ANDY,
    You could think of it as a kind of paparazzi without the camera.

    BRIAN,
    The "dark underbelly"...I'm rubbing my dog's right now!

    JOY,
    Yes, tossing them to the wind, as it were. The Recycler of moments...bein' creepy, but bein' green!

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  22. Stealing a moments glance
    May leave one in a trance
    But the sting of some of what you find
    Could make you wish in never entered your mind
    Great write
    With your words adding some bite

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  23. PAT HATT,
    You speak only in rhyme
    With words so sublime...
    You're more fun than a mime!

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