train comes, its wrack
the undisguisably pickled
dregs of hope de-
composing, dreaming acidly
in blue glass, mason. so
much for bloated beginnings,
point-of-departure daggered
summer afternoons in the market
where souls are at auction as
they were lifetimes ago
and charlatans lien awned
forevers under skies that
darken and gradually un-
remember. she presses
thin dress over pale thigh, fights
wind-made wrack in torn fabric,
holds her voice white-knuckled:
what price would you pay
to drain the vinegar,
slough history, begin again?
the tenth muse 
With the crap I’m dealing with right now I’d say that you wrote this for me after a conversation you and I had. Nice
smooches,
Larie
let’s say that, then. written for Larie. 🙂 glad it found some resonance. hope all the crap lightens up!
dang..tight…esp. the closure.. there are areas in my life i would pay a high price to be able to begin again…love the title as well
thanks, Claudia. there are def. things i’d like a do-over for as well. 🙂
Southern Gothic – saw Flannery O’Conner at book read at Miami book fair 1985 or so. Dave Barry and Garrison Keillor too !
i dunno, i am always afraid inteh rewriting that i would screw it up worse than i did the first time you know…smiles…really some nice touches…the mason glass…the train…
next time i roll by i will honk louder…smiles.
thanks, brian. this one really came from a lotta different places, though sometimes i think there really are things i would re-do….
yeah, next time you come by lay on the horn; i’ll up the shades and wave from the window. 🙂
Love the word “Wrack”. Very well used.
And the closing words are just sublime. Great work.
The heavy cloud of regret lingers here – I liked following the path of this sad daydream. You do melancholy so well, 🙂 thanks Mosk
yeah, i kinda do, don’t i? like it’s a semi-permanent state-of-mind or something… thanks, Mosk. always appreciate hearing from ya.
Nice details….great poem!
Pleasure to read…!!!
cloud reader
First of all, I like the poem. Secondly, not sure what price I would pay but I would probably kill someone to go back to the time in history when I was thin and with a full head of hair.
Awesome details, images and descriptions. If there is a train to take one back to a point in time one wishes to change, what is the price indeed. Hard to say, somehow I think if it’s possible, you won’t know the price till you come back to the present point again. Interesting poem. 🙂