dimanche 12 octobre 2008

Webster, Mass. - 1972


Shufflin' around this lousy town
I mixed with free radicals and crazies
left my dna in all the wrong places

Mother scolded me about the black
guys I liked, she warned me
mulatto kids have a very hard time

I strummed my guitar in the park
then played opposite Bonnie Raitt
asked her for a Kool and just saved it

Shy to the max and passive
Lots of guys had me and a few women
fancied me when I drank with them

One wrapped me up in her long red hair
made me sing like Bessie Smith
then winked, diss'n me 'til I kissed her

We'd sit in one of those throwaway bars
pretendin' to be older divas and dons
only to be thrown out for being loud

It was disco, Sartre and Frisco
It was dreaming of getting out
but it was not knowing how

Smokin' the last of the grass
we'd lie in the van, sweaty and hard
six legs and six arms interlocked

By summer I was a boy:
Lake Chagogagog was muddy and warm
I swam everyday, cut my hair short

then hitchhiked to Boston
It was a much bigger ride there
It was too big and I missed my friends

As the seasons changed
and the chill kept coming in
I mailed myself back to Webster

Over and over again
Over and over again
Over and over again

20 commentaires:

Boris a dit…

great to see you having your own blog Laura!

Kath a dit…

Hey Laura,

I loved this. Were you going to Amherst or UMass Amhesrt?

Brought back wonderful, wonderful days.

Great poeme, Mlle Laura.

I do think the font is very small.

Max Babi a dit…

Whew.. Laura.
This poem is more of a song than a piece of poetry ; there's a touch of Andy Warhol and Allen Ginsberg, and the beatniks and...
Thanks for sharing.
Will keep peeking in here, for sure. Good luck with blogging.
Cheerz!

Max

enudelman a dit…

A lovely poem, Laura. And so glad to see you've got this blog going. I"m going to put it in as a link in my blog

Laura Tattoo a dit…

thank you to everyone for your kind comments and support. actually, i was only 15 yrs old that year, kathryn. the last of the "hippie" days... xoxoxox ~lt

Laura Tattoo a dit…

thank you, ed. i appreciate that! also, i did make the font larger; that was an important suggestion, kathryn. xoxoxox

marinela a dit…

I think you are feeling great having your own blog.This poem reminded me of a period in my life ( many years ago) when I was quite a rebel myself.
Thank you for inviting me here.
Good luck!

Ron B. a dit…

I love your poem, perhaps as much as I once loved Bonnie R. Oh the memories you tap....

Laura Tattoo a dit…

god, thanks, ron. that's a helluva compliment. we shared a wonderful time before we lost our innocence. hugs and kisses ~lt

Boris a dit…

une capture vive d'une ère que j'ai vécu par délégué ainsi de beaucoup de fois et aurait donné n'importe quoi être réellement là !

Pris a dit…

I'm glad you have a blog, too! I'll add you to my links list.

Barbary Chaapel a dit…

Courageous Laura, dear...


Like a room of own's own, having a blog.

Your work here is a celebration of yourself in pure Laura style.

Kudos to you!

Laura Tattoo a dit…

actually, i've been thinking about it, barbary, and i think this poem is a direct result of reading your "estuary". there is a lot of material lurking in one's own stories! ty, barb. you are a true friend and an inspiration. xoxoxox

jhb a dit…

Love the poems, Laura. Very evocative, and then to leave a commentaire!

John Walter a dit…

A sweeping bildungsroman that gathers in the rollicking adventures and mishaps of a sensitive artistic soul forging herself into a poet through experience, delivered in a surprisingly immediate argot that reveals the countercultural shifts and turns of her zeitgeist.
I really enjoyed this, Laura.

susanbudig a dit…

This poem contains great lyrical rhythm, Laura.

Mary Stebbins Taitt a dit…

Yeah, sounds like a sound with shades of feat and loathing mixed with On the Road. Cool.

By the way I've been writing down the word verificiations for possible use in stories and poems.

Speaking of poems, visit me at http://marysreading.blogspot.com/ or at http://halfformed.blogspot.com/ (or even at http://nopolar.blogspot.com/) for poems.

Mary Stebbins Taitt a dit…

That should say fear and loathing a la Hunter S Thompson, oops sorry

Laura Tattoo a dit…

thanks so much, mary lol. i will definitely check out those poems! à bientôt, je suis sûre. xoxoxo

NYC News & Analysis a dit…

I like that you examine the "what is the meaning of this thing called life" in your poem. So much stuff happens in life, and for a lot of us, we have to start processing it at a very young age. Great poem.