Tuesday, August 20, 2013

DRINKING COFFEE WITH PABLO

Pablo Neruda





Tuesday afternoon I sit in bookstore
as Pablo stares with his soul
made of words and all
there is in mind/full observations
about life, death, class struggles,
love and the in between
space we fill.

He doesn't approve 
of my mocha frappe so different
from the cafes of his times
where he dreamed everyone's coffee
would someday be equally sweetened.

"So what," he says.
"Drink 'til the birds peck
your chocolate eyes,
'til the pigs snort delighted
eating fragments of your heart,
'til the snakes smoothly curl
around the nothing that's left
of you, your imitation living
through pages written by poets
like me who don't care
yet care immensely
when no one sees through
curtains, sheer but thick
enough to hide the truths
I see."

That's how he talked to me,
poetic paradoxical riddles, little explosions,
electric vibrations causing intermittent flashes
in my mind.

"Sorry," he says. "My coffee is bitter.
Sometimes that's all you taste when you're dead.
So be alive while you can,
even if there's little ideal."

Once we parted, I decided
even when I write in black,
I'll lace my thoughts in green of hope, like him,
to show admiration by a little imitation.



(According to Wikipedia, Pablo Neruda always used green ink to write his poems.
Submitted to Dverse Poets)



17 comments:

  1. Oh My--I really loved this! I can see his influence and your flow is just wonderful!

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  2. wow...what a cool convo... ah it would be wonderful to be able to have a cup of coffee with him...equally sweetened..made me smile.. be alive while you can is the part that touched me most i think... so true... and he really wrote in green ink..? i love that... i write in light blue and brown when i have to do some handwriting...smiles

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  3. Whoa, beautiful imitation. Nothing more intimidating that trying to follow Pablo, but you've dome it beautifully. Love those last two stanzas best of all.

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  4. ha. i will be alive while i can....what fun it would be to share that coffee though with pablo or another....and listen to their riddles....they would probably chastize me for trying to write them down as fast as i could...really very nice myrna....

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  5. Well, I love this little poetic jaunt...it really has a cute aspect but a depth too.

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  6. Wow, I love the Pablo Neruda conversation and inspiration ~ This is one of the best pieces for me you have written ~ Lace it, be alive and make your life colorful ~ Smiles ~

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  7. He definitely would be a FINE one to imitate!! I love his work..and yours.

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  8. Wow, this is a new favorite. :) Great!

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  9. And words made of soul. . . . I see so much in your work!



    ALOHA from Honolulu
    Comfort Spiral
    ><}}(°>

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  10. Love your convo and coffe w. Pablo, and I think he'd love your clever write!~jackie~

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  11. I think Pablo would like your clever write! ~jackie~

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  12. Oh I adore this conversation! So fun and cool. I could really see this taking place there's a wonderful depth to it. "So be alive while you can". Amen.

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  13. This nice dialogue made me smile... hope you will share more meetings with Pablo.

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  14. A Neruda fan, I did not know the green ink detail. Thank you, Myrna, for enlightening me. And this is a great read. the details, the poetic twists of tongue, delight this reader.

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  15. This is just wonderful, Myrna. I wrote one about coffee with Mary Oliver and another--an interview. I like how you brought in the bitter aspects of being dead. Great work.

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  16. i also enjoyed this very much. the dialogue rang so true i was eating up all he and you had to say. the green is such a lovely detail. thanks for this lovely exchange and fantasy.

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  17. Great conversation, and I've always been quite partial to green ink...but never enough pens in the work stationary cupboard for me to have made it habit 😊

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