when I didn't know

[saw]

wandering the alleys of my disheveled mind
is a scary fucking endeavor, full of dented trashcans
that stink to high heaven, and pitch black nooks
that some nights, raises the hairs on the back of my neck, yet

I feel a need to explore the cobblestones
sort the rat from the tom, feel the bumps
on my bare feet, it's all out there somewhere
for a wannabe dumpster diver with some balls

I suppose it would be easier to ignore
a younger man's tale of misadventure, just
keep walking, cross over to the sunny side
never looking behind to see if you are being followed

it's a legitimate choice some say, always look forward
erase all the menacing blackboards, forget all the sentences
you served, forget too all those the teacher made you
write after school, some say all of this analysis is ill advised

I can't change the past, that's clear to me, but
I wonder if a descend to the lower tiers
where demons walk like old friends, could I better forgive
myself....when I didn't know how to love

[katydid]

sort the rat from the tom

oh what a valuable skill

forget all the sentences
you served,

love love the multiple meanings in this

never looking behind to see if you are being followed

and that is where it all turns around.

Enjoyed the read, thank you for sharing

[saw]

thanx katydid, ...and welcome to S8....nice to hear some new voices

[katydid]

thanx katydid, ...and welcome to S8....nice to hear some new voices

Thanks for the welcome! I am rusted but if I find the grease will ease my way into the scene.

I used to live in Baltimore- just north of the city line actually. I miss the water and the closeness of things. I don't particularly miss the copters hovering over my place with spotlights, although that did make good conversation

[saw]

yeah katydid, Balmer has it's addictive quirks....it has a vibrant art and music scene, and a lot of one of a kinders....as John Waters likes to say ( paraphrasing )...Baltimore is town of all these eccentric people that think they are normal....,,ha ha...there you have it

[stilltrucking]

I don't how long it has been since you posted this poem, but I am ever so glad I stumbled onto it today while I was ransacking the studio eight archive looking for a painting by wireman.

she loved me when I did not know how to love. All I knew was lust. And they called it puppy love. pardon the ramble, very cool poem it is one for your book if you ever get so inclined.

I have been Inclined for weeks, I need to work on my posture

[saw]

hey truck..thanx for the comments and for resurrecting this poem for further scrutiny...almost 4 years ago.....always interesting to see where you were a few years back...not much has changed....except my age....I'm still an old spelunker mining the outer regions of thought looking for a gem or two, or at the very least a new air freshener