Keep your sadness close to you,

[Cate]

Keep your sadness close to you,

let it live behind your joy.
Weave it a home with vines
from grandmother's willow

make sure it has many windows,
many shelves.
Bring it oranges
and a poster of a mermaid
to hang on the wall.

Visit your sadness often,
make love to it on moonless
nights, or just lie next to it
drift off to the crackle
of an old record spinning.



(edit note original posted last two lines were - "listening to Van Morrison"/"slip into the mystic." )

[Jean Fournell]

That's a very tender and loving poem, Cate.
Makes me think of your "and then there was the day even words were gone".

I fully share the underlying message that dignity and love are two sides of one priceless coin, as are wholeness and healing.

(And it is certainly not out of spite if I add: May 2016 bring more joy than sorrow!)

[Sideways]

Keep your sadness close to you,

let it live behind your joy.
Weave it a home with vines from
your grandmothers willow,

Make sure it has many windows,
many shelves.
Bring oranges
and a poster of a mermaid
to hang on the wall.

Visit your sadness often,
make love to it on moonless
nights, or just lie next to it
listening to Van Morrison
slip into the mystic.

This has grown on me. My first reading yesterday didn't give it enough credit- entirely your fault as it is NOT a New Year's Day poem!-but today I like it. I'm not a fan of name-checks. I think it is somehow cheating but then I am decidedly fussy and strange in writing so if you want Van Morrison to write your lyrics.... I saw him perform in Marbella years ago and he was having an off day. As an act of malice and spite he then came to see me perform many times and he posted a review that I was having an off-years. I went to see Geoffrey perform in a pub and, surrounded by many bottles of cheap wine, I think he was having an off-licence. These international jokes are simply wasted on you Canadians and Norwegians. At least Adam appreciated the way I screwed up his Ghandi post. As a woman I am used to be being underrated. My parents used to place me under a pedestal. It was cold there and no-one gave me oranges (just as well, never liked them), although I did have a live mermaid as a friend and sex object. So that just about sums up the situation. If you have any comments kindly keep them to myself.

[Cate]

That's a very tender and loving poem, Cate.
Makes me think of your "and then there was the day even words were gone".

I fully share the underlying message that dignity and love are two sides of one priceless coin, as are wholeness and healing.

(And it is certainly not out of spite if I add: May 2016 bring more joy than sorrow!)

Thank you Jean, more joy then sorrow is always a good plan - I wish you the same



thank you Sue, it's a bit saccharin (which I'm okay with) and a bit safe. I like the general idea of the poem and I like the part about mermaids and oranges (because I mermaids and oranges), I'm not so keen on the last stanza. I think that you might have a valid point about using a specific name or artist - that's helpful thank you. I'm sorry that you grew up under a pedestal, that must have been very cramped.

My first reading yesterday didn't give it enough credit

that's fine, the poem is no longer allowed to use credit after raking up a horrible debt at a local book store and chocolate outlet. Never trust a poem.

[Sideways]

I am always so impressed by your responses to crits. If I was a man I would become a lesbian just to get to know you better.

Your poem has bundles of potentithingy

[Cate]

I am always so impressed by your responses to crits. If I was a man I would become a lesbian just to get to know you better.

haha,
confusing but nice. Your critics are often wrapped in humour and (not but) they're usually solid and helpful, I may not agree with everything you say but it always gives me a new look at things.

[Sideways]

I am always so impressed by your responses to crits. If I was a man I would become a lesbian just to get to know you better.

haha,
confusing but nice. Your critics are often wrapped in humour and (not but) they're usually solid and helpful, I may not agree with everything you say but it always gives me a new look at things.

you may not agree with everything I say??? WTF! That's fighting talk where I come from. If you were a woman it would now be my duty to beat you to a pulp (fiction)

Sue

[Jimmy O'Connell]

Nice one Cate

[LY24]

Cate，You wrote this poem？

[Cate]

Thanks Jimmy.

Yes LY, I write a bit - it's a relaxing hobby that can be slightly addictive.

[Sideways]

"Visit your sadness often,
make love to it on moonless
nights, or just lie next to it
drift off to the crackle
of an old record spinning."

oh, I see what you were trying to do Cate, (and we all saw what someone was trying to do by patronising your name on another Fred), you were trying to provoke me into a parodhingy, weren't ya'. Ha! Well, you succeeded. Did I? Usual rules, I boast about the speed writing in the hope that you reverse multiply it to increase the qualityness of the product final.

3 minutes 47 seconds work manipulating your edited last verse, (which, incidentally, was certainly an improvement - I couldn't stanza your original). My work below is not to be read by anyone born after the era of vinyl singles


I visit the forum not often
make love on it to Mooning
Knights, I lie on the threads, bare
drift off on crack, and the scratch of
a 45 beside my head

[Boss]

Keep your sadness close to you,

let it live behind your joy.
Weave it a home with vines
from grandmother's willow

make sure it has many windows,
many shelves.
Bring it oranges
and a poster of a mermaid
to hang on the wall.

Visit your sadness often,
make love to it on moonless
nights, or just lie next to it
drift off to the crackle
of an old record spinning.

Hi Cate,

I left sadness in a bucket
Eight months ago
With a withered moon
And the death of night

I could use her no more
She reigned too long
Her cello and tuba
For my indiscretion

I found skipping rope
Sang schoolyard riffs
Until 15 minutes ago
You said "Sad is okay"

And I smiled again

--

Ta for the poem

[Cate]

ta Adam - I've often been uncomfortable with that piece of myself but she's not so bad, better to be friends.
~~

ah ha, you found me out or rather you've fallen for my cunning plan Sue and now I finally understand why you always brag about how fast you can do things!

mooning knights - this is a strange thing to make love to, but you go girl! I'm not sure if you should lie around bare on the threads though, it's still winter and you could get a chill.

as for winter here, we had our final good bye to the season today

beavertails.jpg (128.74 KiB) Viewed 3064 times

I don't know the people in the line but I thought it was funny that there were more people in line for pastry then on the ski hill.

[Cate]

Hey Sue, on a rare serious note
I'd like to say a thank you to you - you're a good friend, I think you'd have my back in a hard core word fight. You'd correct my grammar, but you'd still have my back. xx

[Sideways]

Thank you, and rest assured that I am never giving you back (even on the unmade sack).