Monday, June 13, 2005

pumping

sara seeks out
a friend filled with cancer,
pockets pills whenever
june is sleeping.
she gulps down three, back
at her place, then binds
her legs tight 'round a stranger.

she dances on the stars
each night, makes bargains
with her demons.
the demons tell her she's
all right; keep pumping pills,
you're bound for heaven's glory
.

now sarah says she's finally
clean, gone twelve steps, picked
up her chips, found jesus, but
uses people in place of
drugs, still sleeps with any man
who asks her.

her hands, as cold as old
hoar frost, betray her, heart
gone hard as Barb'ra Allen's.

3 comments:

hwf said...

I enjoyed. Perhaps in the final strophe, drop 'the' in the first line.
I must lead a work-sheltered life, who's Bar'bra Allen?

Helm.

Pris said...

I like your suggestion..I've been struggling with the rhythm of that sequence of words.

Barbara Allen was the subject of an old old folk ballad about three centuries old. many versions of the lyrics...'...sweet William died for the love of hard hearted Barb'ra Allen' (I have to fix my abbreviation , too)

http://www.contemplator.com/child/brballen.html

here's a source of one version.

If you see the movie Songcatcher, you'll hear it and tons others. A really enjoyable movie.
Pris

hwf said...

Ah, the rose and the briar. I was at a songwriter's circle this past Wednesday and that was the theme of a song written and sung by Pamela Morgan, a singer from Newfoundland.

Thanks Pris, the link was informative.

Helm.