Get Your Premium Membership

Read Poems by Marvin Cotlar

Marvin Cotlar Avatar    Block poet from commenting on your poetry

Below are poems written by poet Marvin Cotlar. Click the Next or Previous links below the poem to navigate between poems. Remember, Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth. Thank you.

List of ALL Marvin Cotlar poems

Best Marvin Cotlar Poems

+ Follow Poet

The poem(s) are below...



At Three O'Clock In the Morning

AT THREE O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING 

trucks toil the city’s streets, 
a minuet of practiced precision, 
to the pulsating rhythm, 
to the incessant beat. 

they parade and pause, 
they roll-on. stop. 
roll-on. stop. roll-on. stop. 

they parade their wares. 
sons. sons of sons. sons of sons of sons. 
daughters, a grand-daughter too. 

purveyors on the prowl before another dawn, 
treading black ribbons, 
streets, whose crisscrossed form 
divides and marks the territory. 
butchers and bakers, fishmongers, 
greengrocers, candle-makers all. 

they unload loaves and lettuce. 
candles and sweet cane. 
sustenance. need. want. frill and frolic. 
unload profit and provender 
for mongers all, large and small. 

crusted long loaves steaming to the touch, 
the yeasty aroma a nostrum to nostrils and lungs. 

the city’s demands. the city demands.    
 
a small, brown-yellow knot-limbed man, 
checks cardboard crates, bushels and pecks. 
he sets to replenishing large, open, 
shallow wood slatboxes 
cramping every sidewalk 
with colors yellow-red-orange-purple-green. 
each rising from a steady square base 
     into pyramids of 
orange-pear-grape-banana-apple-tomato. 
native and exotic, in season or not. 

guarding all this in plastic greencups: 
captain chrysanthemum.   

inside are muffins of cornmeal and oat, 
berries black and blue. cranberry. 
bran with and without raisins. 
muffins crowncrusted, each cellocaped 
waiting for a rushing hand.

eat my love, eat. i’m here my love. 
forgive me as you sleep. 
sleep. it’s three o’clock in the morning.


                      ###

Copyright © Marvin Cotlar | Year Posted 2020


Post Comments

Please Login to post a comment

 
Date: 11/9/2020 6:53:00 AM

Great use of metaphor Marvin.. an enjoyable read.

Back


Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry