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RWP#107...inspired from this photo "shotgun blast" by Shane Gorski
SHOOTING GALLERY
There was no light
only darkness and tattooed graffito
in the shadows of the dark horse
shooting junk
in the empty church loft
above the back alley of filth
below the street of lost hope
lossing their minds
and collapsed veins
a place to fix
with hollow sounds and silent shots
the mistress of of burnt spoons and dirty needles
took them to the pusher of death
Ken the keeper saw a glow
and remained
knowing that darkness comes before the light
he weathered the storm
of junk and dirty needles
when the ghost of himself appeared
on a tightrope of broken eggshells
and led him to the light
beyond the shadow of who he once was
emerging into the light
like a phoenix
his soul rose from the ashes
awakened with clarity
he made this his home
the shooting gallery of light.
16 comments:
This is a sad story Wayne but an accurate glimpse into the world of an addict. I think the confusion of shadows and light is telling. Thank you for sharing this and I hope the coming year brings lots of love and joy to your part of the world.
Wonderfully bleak. Here are my favorite lines:
when the ghost of himself appeared
on a tightrope of broken eggshells
shooting junk
in the empty church loft
above the back alley of filth
This is a very strong image, Wayne. But it first grabbed me because of the way it accidentally triggered an unrelated memory, not of a drug situation, but from the final year of the Communist dictatorship in Romania. Too involved to explain here. Only saying that I sometimes forget how much the extraneous, unrelated stuff we bring to our reading of a work affects how we react, what grabs us quickly and what sinks in more slowly.
You portray the junkie world in powerful images. It is beautifully written, but I like the movement toward the light, not simply a cold death ODing in the church loft but the appearance of the self-ghost that leads him to the light, that makes this something else. A recognition of a kind of worth and dignity in the least likely of places.
Your lines,
when the ghost of himself appeared
on a tightrope of broken eggshells
and led him to the light
reminds me of the Hellenistic concept of one's guardian angel being a part of oneself, an unsullied portion that appears the same as the sullied portion but with a radiance about it. It is just right that the junkie's "angel" is an image of the junkie.
Thanks for this poem, Wayne.
Your repetitions of the word light (with glow, clarity, emerging, awakened, phoenix) really kick this into overdrive. A very bright poem of its circumstance.
You've encapsulated the life in raw reality. Excellent.
Wayne - Thanks. The darker pictures are of the right side view and the sunny ones are of the left - both of my back yard. It easy to add them. Just go to "layout" and click on "add a gadget". That will open a window where you pick the gadget to add. Choose "add a picture". It will then instruct you to either browse on your own computer or get a picture from the Internet. You can move the pictures around on your blog with the layout view and preview them. If I can do it, anybody can.
Now, I'm going back up to read your poem! :-)
Wow! I am amazed at the varying places this picture took us! You have created a whole world here, one that makes perfect sense with the photo. The details and the mixing of shadow and light, along with the earthy and elevated diction make this come to life. Beautifully done!
You've conveyed the depressing reality of the smack freak's life very well.The ending was very moving and beautiful.
Nice one
So very powerful with many amazing images..you did a really fine job with this one, Wayne!
I enjoyed the imagery you conveyed here. It is a nice piece of work.
-Roberta
I knew little about addiction until reading this piece. It's vivid and vibrant with dark and light. Nice!
This is a very gritty and visceral piece. I like the play of words in the title (and closing line) that echoes the photograph's as well.
Hi Wayne, thanks for your comment at my blog, and I'm happy it led me over here to see your site and read this moving response to the RWP prompt; the image evoked something like that for me too. Thanks.
You've captured the essence of the photo perfectly, IMO. Plain, unvarnished words here - a death song and a warning.
Great work.
Such a sad story with a very ahppy ending. Beautiful!
Pamela
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