Friday, February 29, 2008

Paradise Motel by Charles Simic

Simic's poems generally rely more on image and perspective than on music and rhythm. He wants you to feel off-balance reading his work. His language is straightforward--you won't see a glistening vocabulary. I read Paradise Motel as a brutally honest commentary on how we relate to war and suffering.


Paradise Motel

Millions were dead; everybody was innocent.
I stayed in my room. The President
Spoke of war as of a magic love potion.
My eyes were opened in astonishment.
In a mirror my face appeared to me
Like a twice-canceled postage stamp.

I lived well, but life was awful.
there were so many soldiers that day,
So many refugees crowding the roads.
Naturally, they all vanished
With a touch of the hand.
History licked the corners of its bloody mouth.

On the pay channel, a man and a woman
Were trading hungry kisses and tearing off
Each other's clothes while I looked on
With the sound off and the room dark
Except for the screen where the color
Had too much red in it, too much pink.


Charles Simic was born on May 9, 1938, in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, where he had a traumatic childhood during World War II. In 1953 he emigrated from Yugoslavia with his mother and brother to join his father in the United States. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1990.

19 Comments:

Blogger gilda92 said...

"History licked the corners of its bloody mouth"

What a great summary.
Thank you for this poem

9:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I always look forward to your poem of the week. And the other event that I never miss is the Saturday essay of James J. Kilptarick. This week the poem was the best.
Thank you.

9:47 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

GREAT...
.
FREE POEMS U can use,

like

... " To Hell... With War "

at....

Http://www.RogerART.com

OK 2 copy and Pass em On...

Peace, Love & Later, Roger Drowne EC
.

11:13 AM  
Blogger SBrashear said...

This was very interesting.

3:07 PM  
Blogger kikomachinist said...

very well story..! yeah a great summary..

12:38 AM  
Blogger Chandini Santosh said...

Stunning imagery of war and beyond.

Signature

Signature is a poem
Strewn with the semicolons
Of life
Written with a pen
On poised paper
Dipped in cut veins

From beginning to end
In gurgling lines
Which drains
All the blood
In my system
Infected with love
Deflating myself
Like a flopped tent
Skin over bones
Bones over flesh
Flesh over soul
And soul over dreams
All deflated
Period.

Visit my blog http://www.chandinisantoshblogspot.com for more instant poems.

1:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am new here, I will enjoy your poem of the week. Thank you for taking the time to enrich my literally world. :)

4:34 AM  
Blogger sunshine said...

Simply great!A touch of cool breeze on a hot summer day.That's poetry for me.Thanks.

10:44 PM  
Blogger anushi: said...

Hey can i ask you a question? I am new to blog spot and i want to know how to create another file like links on your page? and previous posts?

11:19 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

in my slavic heart is a cry that nevers ends. it is beyond me - a collective grief, shallowly buried in my heart, like in woods in the old country, lined up and shot in the back, holding a baby in front of a ditch, then barely covered by the red wet pungent half-rotten autumn leaves

...then denied like a cheat covering up a bad throw.

Paul Cseple
http://slavicheart.blogspot.com/

2:28 PM  
Blogger senaba said...

good poems, how can i send my poems to u. email me back 200521282@ul.ac.za

10:22 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

WOwzerz! AWesoemly awesome poems! Heres a scoop of some of mine:

LIfe is not a game

No toy or thriller

Life brings lots of pain

Sorrows in great err

No time to joke or laugh

Just thinking how to bare

No one leading you a path

It all a nightmare

The paving's bad

Just twists and turns

Some grief and sad

And sometimes burns

But a mark will remain

A scar deep and wound

Just poring out like rain

A promise is not bound

A word from the wise

My child so dear

Dont take life for granted size

Teparary it is and happiness so mear

BUt look through the blindfold

And you just may find

Light, my friend, is told

SOme where in mind

Enjoy what you can

But never forget

The clock ticks so fast

Words are said and never took back

The book closed shut in lack

Life is not a toy or thriller

LIfe brings lots of pain

But together, alone, we will manage

To learn and to master this 'game'

7:30 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Ife is not a game

No toy or thriller

Life brings lots of pain

Sorrows in great err

No time to joke or laugh

Just thinking how to bare

No one leading you a path

It all a nightmare

The paving's bad

Just twists and turns

Some grief and sad

And sometimes burns

But a mark will remain

A scar deep and wound

Just poring out like rain

A promise is not bound

A word from the wise

My child so dear

Dont take life for granted size

Teparary it is and happiness so mear

BUt look through the blindfold

And you just may find

Light, my friend, is told

SOme where in mind

Enjoy what you can

But never forget

The clock ticks so fast

Words are said and never took back

The book closed shut in lack

Life is not a toy or thriller

LIfe brings lots of pain

But together, alone, we will manage

To learn and to master this 'game'


tghats one of my poems!

7:31 PM  
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酒店兼差不是一個複雜的工作環境?很多人受到媒體的誤導,以為這行的姐妹都很難相處,其實不然..!!
酒店小姐上班通常會取什麼名字?說穿了~就像在學校和一般公司行號一樣 沒什麼不同 我在酒店上班的日子原因如下:
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2.大家為了賺錢解決經濟壓力,應付客人都來不及,哪有多的心思欺負你。
3.大家都是這行的短暫過客,反而心寬不會理會芝麻小事,(離開這行後.誰還會想聯絡!)
4.現在多為跟經紀的經紀小姐,換店是稀鬆平常的事,今天妳是資深,明天可能變成新進,台北市就那麼大的圈子,時常會相遇因此凡事都會留後路 不會太超過。
5.換立場來說 若妳現為資深人員 妳會無聊到去欺負新進嗎?答案是不會啊。
6.若有少數難相處的公關 相信會有不少人向店家反應,店家會約束該公關。
7.最簡單向經紀人反應 對店家施壓 限期該公關改善態度 否則立即換店。
8.一家店內都有同經紀公司的同門師姊,基於和經紀人的情感都會代為照顧(之後妳也會照顧新進)
9.人與人的互動是相對 妳平常笑臉迎人,相信其他人對妳也是有好感的。

1:04 PM  

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