My poem "Listening to Patti Smith" won runner-up for poetry this year and one of my other poems won an honorable mention. Poetry readings and award ceremony at Collected Works Bookstore on April 30th 2015 at 6pm. http://www.collectedworksbookstore.com/
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Listening to
Patti Smith
is
like dreaming life, through her eyes.
Open-hearted,
you take her hand
trusting
her, your wild mother,
she
promises to wake you up when she’s all
done.
She’ll tell you fairytales,
whisper
them gently in your ear:
Her
lyrics a sacred savory wafer that falls from
the
tip of her tongue. She
like
you, loves the boys
guitars
and sonic noise, like you she wears
comfy
old man jacket and boyfriend’s tie
a
holy mess, her holiness—
could
you ever be as holy as her?
Her
hot breath blows like an angry storm
through
your stereos loud speakers,
her
words a wind that slaps you across the face
leaving
throbbing welts of wisdom.
You
feel guilty for such a pleasure
like
a sinner,
she
yells,
“G
- L- O - R- I- A, Gloria!”
You’re
not disappointed when
the
dream is over, but finally wide awake when
you
grab for a microphone, of your own.
words by
Lorraine E. Leslie ©
2014
2014
