Sunday, March 09, 2014

desperate measures

Lee Plaza Hotel, Detroit, photo by Bonnie Beechler
in that room, before the war
there was laughter
which turned my legs to jelly
a paradise that we all miss

row and then another row
of broken rooms
no one to catch the debris
who will celebrate the trip to hell

who will bake a platter of tiny cakes
now my mouth has gone cotton
I have catch in my voice
I will gargle with warm water boiled with basil leaves

all is definitely not lost
war or strife, as long as there is a single human
there will always be life

"I am settling down in front of that television
so what if I lost my vision?"

22 comments:

Claudia said...

as long as there is a single human
there will always be life... so true..and they will always fight to get back a live-worthy life..sad on how much destruction war brings and how we manage to escape the pain and build and build again...

Other Mary said...

What an indictment of war. Spot on. You give us brave hope in S4, but then take it away again in the final stanza. This is brilliant.

kalpana solsi said...

as long as there is a single human
there will always be life
this is so true Gautami.
when there is only one human there is life.
where there is life there will be more people.

Susan said...

That human is the only hope. I wish everyone would be human.

De Jackson said...

I love this, especially:
"who will bake a platter of tiny cakes
now my mouth has gone cotton"

Kathe W. said...

love the last 3 lines!

humbird said...

Love optimism here and trust in the positive nature of human...

Sherry Blue Sky said...

"another row of broken rooms".......yet by the end of the poem, there is hope, and endurance and maybe even transcendence. Wonderful!

Sumana Roy said...

inspite of the debris there's so much light here.......love this poem Gautami...

Wayne said...

Nicely done.....thanks for sharing

Old Egg said...

We certainly have to hope we stick around despite our foolish behaviour. Lets hope our writing lingers to tell the tale.

Kathryn Dyche said...

all is definitely not lost
war or strife, as long as there is a single human
there will always be life

. . . speaks of hope.

Belva Rae Staples said...

I like the optimism in this!

Kaye Waller said...

As long as there is life, there is hope! Lovely work.

Helen said...

... so many wonderful lines.

marit said...

Great piece! I will definitely return to your blog for more. I also agree -- poetry is a way of living. Exactly.

21 Wits said...

If I listen really close, I'll hear the laughter still! Excellent scope, drew me right in.

Anonymous said...

Lovely on Gautami.. very well composed..

Cait O'Connor said...

I really love this poem, so many lines appeal staring with:

in that room, before the war
there was laughter
which turned my legs to jelly
a paradise that we all miss

Tess Kincaid said...

The poignant touch of the little cakes...

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Guatami, would you please email me at WildWoman2@shaw.ca? Thanks so much!

Anonymous said...

What a fantastic poem, it perfectly illustrates what war can mean... but that humans have the ability to overcome the destruction.