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The Speakeasy.

Led down by soft pale hand moonlit,
to the quiet abyss and promise of trees,
mid-city by the slow ooze of a rivulet.

There, where in grey suburbia,
all time seemed to cease,
as a thousand televisions droned
away ordinary life's decrease
We found you.

A crooked arrow, aslant, yet somehow
at ease: "here be the speakeasy",
a baited hook of dim lit temptation.

A door ajar, a glow and glimmer
of warm within, we stooped, stalked,
then hand in hand, curious night birds,
We obeyed a silent invitation.

Whispering what we thought passed,
as passphrase: "can we come in.."
not even a question, just an answer,
and in that brief transference from
cold, We fell in-

to the warm huddle congress of
sweet soft chatter
and blue gas heat light,
and the glow-lamps of a hundred eyes,
lapping up newcomers.

And talk, came easy, life came easier
still, and laughter abounding, with the will
to surrender everything, here,
to the unbound astounding,
simplicity of gathered humanity,
surrounding us like a warming swell.

The music that a room can make,
with the bubble of a hundred souls,
the make-shift bar,
the racked up wine,
the food on platters,
like- one taken back to an older time,
when the company of sharing life, stood
in glowing contrast,
to the cold grey, television starred hills
outside.

Let's never forget the singers, oh-
and how they longed to feed the room,
with their rendering of the oldest ode,
ever known, a simple sweet song.

To speak easy, to be easy, to be with
the one you love in lamplight,
was all this aimed to be-

and I caught myself whispering:
"they can keep the cold, and bloody TV,
my dear, this is the place to be"

Style / type: 
Free verse
Review Request (Intensity): 
I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back
Last few words: 
A very rough draft - an experience - something of a surprise, I found with a dear friend of mine, what was called a Speakeasy over there, and a "sly grog shop" over here, in the dark back alleys of suburbia, where the lights were warm, the conversation soft, the laughter raucus, the talk of everything.
Editing stage: 

Comments

A very rough draft?...It is done, complete in it's purpose,
reflecting the warmth you found.
I don't want to get into any discussion
of techniques, or structure, or poetics at all
I really like it
it felt good and right just as it is.

you accomplished what I tried to describe in a past post of mine.(called, "Name Your Poison")
I am quite envious of your depiction

an after thought: the vocabulary was efficient, with no need to be overly ornamental (in an ostentatious way). that , too, I liked

I enjoyed this immensely

Al

Coming from you, that means a lot. I know I stuck down "rough draft" - but I suppose it's a bit more considered than that. From pad to (ironically) phone, then on to the laptop. Just tools of communication though hey, not fixations! I probably will do a bit of "fat trimming" normal process for me. Glad you enjoyed. PS this was a really good one, we stumbled upon, very real very nice surprise.

Thanks.

Chris.

Chris Hall - Tasmania

Grossbooted draymen rolled barrels dullthudding out of Prince's stores and bumped them up on the brewery float. On the brewery float bumped dullthudding barrels rolled by grossbooted draymen out of Prince's stores.

author comment

and some like it. If this is a real place, I'm sure if you sent a copy of this to the owner he might post it on the wall. If not, use it next time at one of these places and get a free dinner.

I personally don't think you need the last stanza, it's not only just the tv- its the whole shebang- the cell phones, tablets, i-watches. I'm sure we get the message without it, especially from the earlier reference to the zombie population. I also think you could shorten it a bit, I would consider the first stanza too, it is a bit superfluous to the theme.

There are certain pubs like this where you just know the people are gentle, and they are not judging the strangers who wander in. The poem has a very sweet nostalgia.

See if at all possible the Chilean film ENDLESS POETRY about a young poet- there's a speak easy in this film CAFE IRIS, you would just love this one!!! trust me.

Eumolpus
I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing
than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance
ee cummings

There will be a bit of adjustment. There are two completely different versions of this poem, one here, one elsewhere, aspects of one, snuck in to the other. And, yes, this place was very, very real, and as I'm coming to realise not such an uncommon experience in Hobart. The guy who ran it, was a bit of "all rounder" with a vineyard here, and a collection of old warehouses there. This was in an old warehouse, in the middle of suburbia, but close to a rivulet, an utter delight.
I will check out that film, thank you for the suggestion. And was very touched that you said we should stick it on his wall! Perhaps the finished version. More to come.

Thanks for the suggestion about the first and last stanza, I'll give it some thought.

Thanks as always, Eumo!

Cheers,

Chris.

PS - The little pile doth grow, with a few little reminders of Tassie thrown in, end of the week I reckon ;)

Chris Hall - Tasmania

Grossbooted draymen rolled barrels dullthudding out of Prince's stores and bumped them up on the brewery float. On the brewery float bumped dullthudding barrels rolled by grossbooted draymen out of Prince's stores.

author comment

Great poem! I totally agree with you about people being so caught up inside their mobile devices. I personally like to give the respect people deserve when im with them, but that's just me. well I really enjoyed this late night read! keep striving for greatness!!

Yes, we have lost the art of balancing what makes for a good tool in communicating ideas (like this site) and the overly obsessive consumption of "social" media - which looks increasingly, a lonely place to be stuck. Quite the paradox. Generation X kids like me (he says in his forties) grew up around the nascent tech of the eighties and nineties, the commodore 64, the ZX Spectrum, computing that kind of necessitated sharing, because you had to gather in groups without the easy access to high speed networks, and extended swap meets and parties, which entailed good natured fun and social engagement were pretty normal back then. What we've gained in all this hyper-connectivity - I've learned, is a generation that could potentially lose the art of spontaneity - that little places like this gave us. On the plus side though, I do increasingly see people use the technology to organise, and create the physical gatherings - and there are exceptions to the rule - look at the site we're on! A good place to start.

Thanks for reading, always love the feedback!

Chris Hall - Tasmania

Grossbooted draymen rolled barrels dullthudding out of Prince's stores and bumped them up on the brewery float. On the brewery float bumped dullthudding barrels rolled by grossbooted draymen out of Prince's stores.

author comment
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