deepundergroundpoetry.com
In the Time of Corn
The corn stands drying
In the October sun
All its green gone, diminished
By the imperial ripeness of time.
They are now old men
Shriveled and shivering
Rattling leaf against nervous leaf,
Chanting in the song of corn,
What now?
I gaze at my own fate, this
Apex ape, fraternal sibling
To the time of corn, brother
To the sagging man of straw
Knowing what is next
But never knowing when.
We await the existential crisis. The corn
Will submit to the monstrous beast
Of revelatory Armageddon,
Shearing blades, smashing rollers of steel,
The hulking megatallic belching beast.
Soon the fields will be assaulted
Buzz-cut and emasculated,
With a raggedy old scarecrow of a man
Standing at the side of the field
Flashing magical certificates
At covid and flu.
An old man who no longer frightens anyone,
But is ignored, this time,
By Death in the guise of an ill-paid worker
In an air conditioned machine
Smoking a cigarette
And thinking of other things.
October 8, 2022, Saturday
Published 9th Oct 2022
| Edited 7th Feb 2023
Author's Note
To a hammer, everything looks like a nail. To this old man in questionable health, all begins to resemble the ultimate conclusion.
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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A masterpiece. From the first line to the last, well-crafted and full of meaning.
It gave me the pleasure that comes when one enunciates good poetry.
(The corn stands drying
In the October sun
All its green gone, diminished
By the imperial ripeness of time.)
Blew my mind actually.
Never mind that it is painful; it is human and beautiful. And, being old myself, it is relevant and so real.
(They are now the equivalent of old men
Shriveled and shivering yet still standing tall
Rattling leaf against nervous leaf,
Whispering in the vocabulary of corn...)
And ending so well, so well.
{An old man who no longer frightens anyone... )
and
(Smoking a cigarette
And thinking of other things.)
Wow.
I don't know why I am copying and pasting lines here. Maybe just giddily enjoying this.
It gave me the pleasure that comes when one enunciates good poetry.
(The corn stands drying
In the October sun
All its green gone, diminished
By the imperial ripeness of time.)
Blew my mind actually.
Never mind that it is painful; it is human and beautiful. And, being old myself, it is relevant and so real.
(They are now the equivalent of old men
Shriveled and shivering yet still standing tall
Rattling leaf against nervous leaf,
Whispering in the vocabulary of corn...)
And ending so well, so well.
{An old man who no longer frightens anyone... )
and
(Smoking a cigarette
And thinking of other things.)
Wow.
I don't know why I am copying and pasting lines here. Maybe just giddily enjoying this.
9th Oct 2022 10:16pm
There is no one on this site whose opinion of my work means more to me than yours. That you have praised it so highly has left me gloriously stunned and delighted.
You are truly a gift. Ty so much.
You are truly a gift. Ty so much.
Sometimes you come across a poem that is so brilliantly writ, you wish you had written it. This is one of those for me.
I pray for better health for you. Let us stay the ultimate conclusion awhile longer.
I pray for better health for you. Let us stay the ultimate conclusion awhile longer.
10th Oct 2022 5:03am
11th Oct 2022 11:14am
12th Oct 2022 6:15pm
