Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Two Poems by Laurie Kolp

Triomino Effect
 
Entranced and in a daze from seething pain,
my eyes no longer see, ears no longer hear
the static pelt, a stray
from shoulder down to hand,
the nerve a murmur in the dark.
 
My head, a cement truck
mixing concrete in my dreams, reality
cogitation and dense smoke.
 
A whiplash neck,
I cannot drink alone
the wine a subtle tickle I ignore.
 
This triomino effect-
shoulder, head, neck
a path to hell
bursting through three  
angles warped in time.
 
 
 
Artistic Perception
 
I see life through my fingers;
I never know where they’ll take me.
When hit with an observation, an inspiration,
I start with one word.
My fingers fly off the keyboard
a pianist on Bach’s Art of Fugue
composing, embellishing-
and it’s not all about you.
 
I no longer envision the original,
in my mind I’m painting like Henri Matisse-
a hat’s not just a hat,
a hat is a fruit bowl on top of one’s head
filled with lavish colors
green and purple grapes-
no, make that chartreuse and carmine
apples so juicy they drip down your chin
sweeter than a baby’s kiss,
precious life that I adore.
 
And now my fingers are a jet plane.
I’m not even sure where they took off
because I see a row of Anne Geddes babies
wearing hats of red flowers-
no, make that crimson geraniums-
in the garden growing beside a rope hammock,
haggard where I lie and wait
for inspiration, not you.
 
 
 
Laurie Kolp has numerous publications, some of which include Writer’s Digest, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Tough Times, Dead Mule’s School of Southern Literature, Christmas Miracles, The Christian Communicator, Skive Magazine, and several poetry collections. Laurie is a mother of six (a husband, three kids and two dogs).
 

12 comments:

  1. Laurie, both wonderful poems--love love love Artistic Perception, so vivid I was transported. The ending was perfect!

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  2. Love these, Laurie. Sharp images, nice play with words--and color!

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  3. Laurie! Wonderful! These are so visceral. I love "My head, a cement truck
    mixing concrete in my dreams," and I too "see life through my fingers." Beautifully put.

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  4. Laurie, I loved both of them, but I really love Artistic Perfection. So many images and it seems like they are flying like your fingers. So proud of you!!

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  5. Congrats! Great work. I had no idea you had been published so much, but I shouldn't be surprised, given the talent you display to us on regular basis.

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  6. haha hope that inspiration finds you in the hammock...it is usually my wife that finds me there and wakes me up...lol...love teh bit about matisse and painting or seeing like him...precious life that I adore...nice...special eyes to def see life as it really is...smiles.

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  7. Dear Laurie, these poems remind me of why I like your writing so much -there is always great description and pacing, but the ideas and perspectives are unique and it's always rewarding to read you. Bravo!

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  8. OOOH LAURIE I AM FINDING THIS READING AND RESPONDING ON PHONE ..., BRAVO! CONGRATULATIONS ON BOTH PIECES .. May your fingers continue to fly like crimson cardinals ! :)

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  9. Oh yes! Enjoyed these! Particularly liked the flighty quality, details & descriptions of "Artistic Perception" -- "and it’s not all about you." ;-) Nice, Laurie!

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  10. These are both wonderful. I especially like the wording and visuals in Artistic Perception. I hope to see more of Laurie's work online.

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  11. Love them both, as many said, because of the amassing of proof/detailed images that bring the hurt (in #1) and the perception (#2) impress-ively home. I puzzled over the first, googling "Triomino" and "Triomino Effect" to see if maybe this was about an animal in a steel trap. No. Did you drive into a deer? Hmmm. But I stepped back to my first impression, which poured its words into my own "path in time" and grinned, rubbed my neck/shoulder etc, and stepped back from this keyboard. Nice.

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