The God King

The ripple of flank

a snort of derision

as the god king

keeps his harem safe

and sleep interrupted

by some mad poet fool

whispering stanzas

into the whisky drowned night

the sweet caress

of matted fur

in midnight

the gentle tone

of unrecognised

words

a soothing balm

for both poet and King

both trapped within

chicken wire and skin

and the gentle seduction

of a different species thing

a recognition in pale, pink

albino worlds

I am alpha male and this is me

and you are welcome

to chat and drink

and throw your dark poetry

into the wind

and my snorts of derision

are not what you think

having no language to speak of

I can only answer

in hoof and antler

and you are welcome

any night,

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

gods riding on wild stallions...graceful....Poets are often graceful...and they may be beggars, but as Hamlet said..."the king may eat from that fish that fed on that worm"
"through the guts of a beggar may go a king"
perhaps we aren't that different...kings, poets...intelligent animals...
wow, i love this piece...spoke to me in volumes..
j.

[gram linski]

hey, j. thanks for an amazing review, great Hamlet quote, are we Gods, are we men, are we monsters, haha, sometimes it's too late to tell ,

[barleygirl]

I really became immersed in this poem. I couldn't tell anyone what it's about, but I felt many sparks of recognition, regarding real gritty life scenarios & feelings. You seem to speak about the inherent disconnect we are all living with, fielding the frustrations which are unavoidable when we all have different backgrounds & different tolerance levels. I think the best response is sometimes just a stomp of the hoof and a rattle of one's antlers. I've been doing that alot in my reviewing this morning, like I want people to know I feel their words, even if I can't think of any way to relate (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[gram linski]

hey, Margie missed a comment, sorry about that, it was a big stag that I used to chat to on whisky fuelled nights, aye the disconnect thing and trying to communicate by hoof and antler, and don't forget the snort of derision, haha, thanks for reading, always appreciate your views

[barleygirl]

snort of derision . . . that's what I love about you

[Eilis]

What I like about this is that it kind of parallels the divide between the language of poetry and our regular communication. In poetry, we are speaking from the seat of something primal or inherent and it feels quite intuitive to us, but those outside of us can feel as far from what we're saying as they do from grasping foreign speech.

So, here, the man and animal meet. And in the meeting there is a kind of recognition--perhaps an acknowledgement of the superiority of each--and a respect that allows the two worlds to briefly intertwine. The two have an intuitive understanding of the conundrum of being limited by things that are beyond their control. For the man it is the bounds of skin and for the animal it is the cage that keeps him in.

But the man has freedom to roam and in roaming bump up against poetry in everyday and translate those poetic things into something meaningful that can be shared. Not only with other humans, but with God Kings as well. And the animal is not alone--he has his harem which must certainly be a balm to him even though the scope of his kingdom is small.

Like Jacob's idea--all things have the capability of colliding under the right circumstances. And the night welcomes in all languages and asks them to meet face to face. I really like this poem. For the surface story and what it kindles in my imagination. Good stuff.

[gram linski]

hey, Eilis thanks for the read, there was this big white stag that used to be penned up in a park and I would go down and read poetry to the great beast, his poems were better than mine,lol, but there was a connection he always came right up to the fence and push his muzzle through and I never saw him do that with anyone else, thanks for your great review, Eilis, appreciate your time