A new year means time for some new poetry. I have noticed that Linebreak hasn't been publishing poetry as fast as they used to. I recall getting poems almost every week and now it seems to be every couple of months. Hmmm. Well, anyway, here is the poem I would like to talk about.
LUKE HANKINS
Beloved
Drunk and faltering
in my midnight chair,
someone gripped me
by the hair and raised my head.
I saw St. Theresa of Avila,
with St. John of the Cross and Rumi
by her side, arm in arm.
And then through the door behind them
came Rabia Al-Basri and Bashõ,
all with garish, wine-drenched smiles,
blood-purple lips.
They asked me, “What are you doing?”
and I said “No, what are you doing?”
They said, “We are drunk on the wine of the beloved.”
I said, “I am drunk but have no beloved.”
St. Theresa pulled my hair harder
and said, “Oh, yes you do!”–
and smothered me
with her wine-soured mouth.
I want to discuss the poetic turn in this one. Which I believe happens around line 12. The speaker is drunk and sees all of these religious figures as he is stumbling through this scene. But then in line 12 people start to speak and what started as a fairly serious sounding poem becomes one that incorporates some humor. I adore the line "No, what are you doing?" It is perfect in tone and image. I can just picture this person stumbling and with their alcohol soaked voice they lisp out these words. A challenge to these larger than life figures. And then Mother Theresa grabs the speaker and kisses him. An interesting poem.
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