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Poet's Watering Hole

I feel it hungry in the room
Blue eyes beat guitar solo drums
Big black blues man souling-out
screaming softly-an aching plea
sitting blue eyes talking to me
in perfectly polite silence
you coax me.

I make my way over
I blamed it on the blues
seedy bar full of intellectuals,
the homeless, needy, derelicts
of the goddamned university
Rhythm pushes the night
somehow to your place and a
bottle of red wine.

Years later. I wonder.
I didn't want to go out that night
I wanted the blues in my living room
your singing went on when you left
Back in the same beat guitar solo drums
without blue eyes digging
a hole for my poetry

Natalie Fuhr
June 2004

I like this one very much...

It makes me glad to be here

Dear Natalie,
Your poem reads like a short story. In it, you condense colour, atmosphere, regret.
It works.
You write well : controlled bitterness is difficult to master.
Andrew.

Thank you Atom and Andrew for your kind comments.

Andrew, I really like the term "controlled bitterness." When you wrote that I immediately thought of the term "attempted murder." Controlled bitterness is something I never really thought about being present in my poetry -- bitterness, yes, but the "controlled" is like a "holding-back" of sorts. It's like a polite insult. The poetry I wrote about 10 years ago was bitter and wild. So, I feel like I've developed as a poet, which is good, but I don't know which style I like better. The "controlled" aspect troubles me, because it's a maturity that has grown out of the whole bitterness theme. But, I think it's a good thing, like you say.

Thank you. Your comment was very flattering, especially coming from you.

Cheers,
Natalie

Dear Natalie,
Your reply got me thinking too:I don't think "controlled" is akin to "holding back". As an analogy, a karate fighter must exercise control at all times: lose control and he/she loses the contest. But the fight isn't won by holding back: that results in disqualification. Use the weapons (hands, feet, fists, elbows, knees, heels) at your disposal and the techniques you have learned through your training. It's just struck me (no pun intended!) that practising karate has similarities with writing poetry!
As for being "troubled", Natalie I firmly believe that if one's writing ever reaches an "untroubled" stage, then it's time to stop. Perhaps this is another way of saying "beware of complacency/sloppiness".
I intend buying your book: congratulations on its publication!
Andrew.
P.S. What did you mean by "especially coming from you"?