Hitting the Wall
by Bill Yarrow
I hadn't seen her since Carter was
President. Everything about her had
turned white, even her beauty marks.
I faced her strangeness and fumbled
for the past. The time we went crabbing
on the Chesapeake. Her imitation of
Barbara Mandrell. Playing lawn darts
at my Mom's. I tried to talk, but only
whispers slithered out. She pretended
to understand what I was saying,
then said, “Wasn't it fungible to have
run across each other?” Fungible? I
questioned. She slapped me—hard.
Then her perfume returned—with a vengeance.
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Author's Note
This poem appeared in Camroc Press Review.
Thank you, Barry Basden!
This poem also appears in my chapbook FOURTEEN (Naked Mannekin, 2011).
The poem appears in Pointed Sentences (BlazeVOX, 2012).
Sam of Ten Thousand Things:
http://samofthetenthousandthings.wordpress.com/2011/06/08/bill-yarrow-reads-hitting-the-wall/
Thanks, Sam!
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Everything about her had
turned white, even her beauty marks.
And particularly:
I tried to talk, but only
whispers slithered out.
Yes. *
"... She slapped me—hard.
Then her perfume returned—with a vengeance."
Damn them all anyway, eh?
fave
"I faced her strangeness and fumbled for the past."
Striking and strong. fave
"fumbled / crabbing / imitation of / lawn darts / but only / pretended"
Nice.
Especially like how the piece moves to that final line. Yes. Marvelous phrasing throughout. Great form, Bill.
Fungible? The center of this seems to be intellectual inequality. Misunderstanding, not wanting/willing/able to understand. I love the nonsensical use of "fungible" here. *
You shoulda knowed better, Bill. You can't go home again. Great shocker of an ending. *
what an ending! this is creepy good, everything on her fading, turning white, his getting hit... with it and man... it is great with multiple reads. This is odd/wonderful.
I really like how the first line puts me in the story. Immediately, I know the era, the political and cultural climates - this was a nice touch. *
I love what you've done with this. You set the entire mood, relationship, attitude of speaker, attitude of reader so quickly and deftly. Then the slap really wakes us up. Great! *
You always work it down to the nub-- and so true. Awesome. Look forward to buying and reading the chap. *
Love this, Bill! "I faced her strangeness and fumbled
for the past." And fungible?? I love this character!!! Ha! *****
Bill, your use of the common yet the extra-ordinary side-by-side always dazzles. This poem sings, stings, and illuminates those relationships from our long ago past. Fantastic! Fave.
even her beauty marks.
fumbled for the past.
She pretended
slapped me—hard.
with a vengeance.
Very good, Mr. Yarrow