After dark, the prosaic comes alive
morphed by a klieg lit stage—
at once, both peaceful and kinetic.
A neon world of predator and prey,
through my viewfinder
garish greens and vivid reds
play with the afterglow of twilight sky.
I try to capture saccharin sweetness
and the promise of forbidden fruit.
I thrill when a percussive din
shatters the vesper stillness.
I’ve learned this murky realm
of mixed lighting and chiaroscuro charm
is best rendered without filters
and the patience of a saint.
For twenty years I’ve meandered through great cities
camera in tow, prowling the grittiest parts of town.
Working quickly to record a vanishing scene
and to keep out of harm’s way,
after dark, it’s scary and electric.
Categories:
grittiest, life, urban
Form: Free verse
The blinding speed of his fists and feet
made all his fastest foes flat-footed
as around the target of his jabs
he swirled and danced, he flew and flitted.
Today he limps, wobbles and dodders
much slower than an arthritic snail,
with astigmatic eyes he peers and squints,
much like a cross-eyed, sleepless quail.
Of his bloated ego, giant belts,
his chest-thumping, his blabber-mouthing,
they were mere media hype and hoopla,
he says, for commercial packaging.
What the fans saw wasn't what they got,
but they made him boxing's wealthiest,
"I'm among the grittiest, " he says,
"But, maybe for now, the world's greatest !"
Categories:
grittiest, life, people, seasons, time,
Form: Rhyme