Asides Within a Last Breath

Three lying deacons 
swim in a handbag -
and a lone, celibate pastor 
paces longingly bemused.
Michael, the Arc Angel, 
poses silently,
in dusty Gabbana drag,
cursing the lipstick-painted laymen
writhing in rancid attar -
naked 
and intentionally 
unused.

Four wide-eyed boys 
dance on a daydream –
kissing ripped posters 
of a white collared rapist.
Saint Peter understands 
the jovial jokesters -
the foolishness 
when blackened specks darken the void;
the flurried flutter of his eyelids
casts a tainted shadow 
upon a fractured sexual ballet.
They continue to kiss
below the waist.

Three lying deacons
and a pacing pastor resides –
five lip-smacking nurses
massaging your head.
Four wide-eyed boys 
caress your knuckles
as the well-trimmed priest 
pronounces
a poorly 
scented infant:
"anally dead."

Seven cardinal sins
slip and divide 
into 3 venial ratios.
"Hi, Sonny"...
Greed, lust and vanity 
are mortal crimes; 
Father Fragrantly Fresh...
quietly proclaims:
"snuggle a bit closer and 
sniff a hint of Genesis."

Say I’m to blame
and cause-count the afflictions –
smaller undetected lumps 
hump the jaded addictions
brain dead and haughty –
the zombies 
circle and laugh!
I wasn't born in a  dark discarded 
Parisian tunnel but -
can you Roman Polanski me,
please?

Kill the poet...
and make him pay -
below the waist.
Crushed words embody
a forgotten loner’s 
epitaph!

(force him to stutter stupidly)

and within a last breath -

and within a last breath -

and within a last breath -

GOD...

"the string-strangled 
puppet 
conventionally chokes - 
and quietly succumbs
(to a textured landscape) 
of a youthful 
silenced dying...

...swaddled 
and swallowed
in a heavenly -
haloed chosen 
death..."

Copyright © | Year Posted 2008



Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Date: 7/15/2012 7:26:00 AM
Congrats on your excellent poem being featured this week....Patrick
Login to Reply
Date: 7/14/2012 7:44:00 AM
Congratulations on your poetry being featured this week John. Love, Carol
Login to Reply
Date: 7/8/2012 8:59:00 PM
Congrats, John, on this one being featured. Brings up a lot of images, some unwanted but necessary. The choices made so long ago have had a negative impact on the true message. But hey, don't kill the poet, he's just thew messenger. Didn't they have a song out in the 70s from the Asbury park area called "don't Shoot The Messenger."
Login to Reply
Date: 7/8/2012 3:55:00 PM
john, congratulations with your featured poem of the week.. hope you are enjoying yours~Always ;-) PD
Login to Reply
Date: 8/12/2008 3:56:00 PM
Quite disturbing and yet so intriguing, had me playing all kinds of mind games. Very well written. Love Heidie
Login to Reply
Date: 8/10/2008 10:01:00 PM
Intense and depthful, full of introspection and stinging truth. Makes one contemplate the inevitable--their mortality. You described it so eloquently. You are a brilliant writer. Take good care of yourself, Sara
Login to Reply
Get a Premium Membership
Get more exposure for your poetry and more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry

Member Area

My Admin
Profile and Settings
Edit My Poems
Edit My Quotes
Edit My Short Stories
Edit My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder

Soup Social

Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us

Member Poems

Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread

Member Poets

Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest

Famous Poems

Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100

Famous Poets

Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War

Poetry Resources

Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetics
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter