l'atalante

[constantine]

on the deck of the l'atalante
i watched the night scroll past
black silk undulating
in the caress of the river breeze
it is the cinema of the moment
inspiration realized
unspoken, articulate
i tell you there is magic
there is spontaneous delight
a joyous anarchy
cats everywhere!
you make the bed - a cat
you open the closet - meow
this furry crew, wild and mutinous
rebels to even their own authority
they will take you in their company
beg for food, scratch
and lick your hand
they are yours now
come with me
there is something in your voice
an accent warm and lyrical
sensitive, demure
music, i just want to listen
i've absolutely nothing to say
i can't explain or quantify
can you appreciate that?
you've every right to call me a fool
on l'atalante
we ride the flux of moments
the river's lap, from
one harbor to the next
we will go to the marketplace
haggle and trade
on the cobblestone square
we will watch acrobats and mimes
firebreathers, mesmerists, pickpockets
we will throw lemon peels
dance fantastic and melancholy
you can feel it, i swear
you can feel it in your spleen
listen
i have made mistakes
i have squandered and frittered
it is a sin to do so
i know this now
i know this now
i tell you this straight out
there is something in your voice
an accent, warm and lyrical
i can see dreams in your eyes
cloistered gardens of refuge
where we talk
and walk hand in hand
you have come to me
from out of the middle ages
from across the plain of assisi
a sparrow sailing
upon the breath of god
to land upon my shoulder
and speak in trill and flitter
i tell you there is magic in a cat's purr
you can hear it with your hands
is it poetry?
i love that you would ask
come with me
i will make you toast and coffee
as we sail along the river
on l'atalante

[constantine]

perhaps if i titled the poem whammo blammo it would garner more interest.

[stilltrucking]

Maybe so Constantine
I am such a peasant
I thought what the hell does this have to do with automobiles.

1938 Bugatti Atalante Type 57C



A 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante Coupe was up for auction!
It sold for about one point seven millions dollars which they say was cheap. But that did not include a tank full of gas and a wash job.

Stored since 1962, this 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante Coupe, bodied by Gangloff of Colmar with Stelvio, is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and history. It will be offered for sale to the well-heeled public this coming June 3rd at the Greenwich Concours D'Elegance, with an expected haul of $300K-400K


`http://www.germancarblog.com/2007/05/bu ... coupe.html

I did not see the movie but I love cats, dearly love them, I wish I had the amygdala of a cat.

My sister's cat came home one day with his head split wide open just sitting on her step purring.

Looked like someone hit it with a machete. I did not cry but I wanted to. Even now I still do.

Sorry if I tagged your poem

I enjoyed reading the poem even though I did not understand it .

Nothing more I can say about it more than it made me want to see the movie.

One edit

[constantine]

the movie is a masterpiece. to me, vigo was creating a cinema that was closer to poetry than the prose/narrative approach. vigo was the son of an anarchist journalist who was murdered by the french police. as a child he lived in the attic with countless cats. the cats, to me, give the film a sense of anarchy - not in the political sense so much as a spontanaity of living - of free expression in living. his light-handed touch had found a perfect vehicle in this romantic fable. my treatment incorporates other elements - gelsomina from la strada, the flowers of st. francis by rossellini, and of course my own tawdry experience. i'd like to think that the poem stands on its own legs - we as artists influence and are influenced. we bring together from the swirling mass what intimately affects us and try to share, feel, and perhaps, understand it.

[judih]

and what would constantine write
if the title were whammo blammo (?)
i'd love to read it.

please know, dino, that i read but don't always comment.
it doesn't mean i'm not responding away as i live my day,
it just means that i forgot to respond here.
your work is interesting - always dancing away at my brain cells in one lobe or another.

(and the above response is sort of the sort that i never post - just so you know)

[constantine]

thank you judih. you are very nice.

[stilltrucking]

i'd like to think that the poem stands on its own legs - we as artists influence and are influenced. we bring together from the swirling mass what intimately affects us and try to share, feel, and perhaps, understand it.

I am dead to women Constantine, I can't relate to them at all, if not for Doreen being the kind of person she is I would be toast here. She has a gift for the autistic.

I am deeply grateful when you double post a poem here. I beg you to delete any post I put here if it annoys you or offends. I had to google the movie to get a hint about the woman in it.

dam dam
what can I say I read the poem on creative and the title threw me off, I suppose I should have googled it.
All I can tell is I got more out of the poem after I googled it.

delete this and put me out of misery
I am not one who should comment on poetry
don't consider anthing I say
like I said I am a freak
I am just lonely
And I love poetry.
detete this

[constantine]

hell jack, i've never met a comment of yours i didn't like. i was just being testy. i am very insecure - i will always be this way!

[westcoast]

thanks for the bg on the poem dino. it helps me to appreciate even more the textures so lovingly crafted by the artist.

cheers,
~westie

[constantine]

is your avatar by chagall?

[westcoast]

An interesting linkage you make. It's a Norman Leibovitch painting. i have a few of his paintings and this is my latest acquisition

http://normanleibovitch.com/

It's titled: Man with Fiddle
Very significant to the Jewish community he was from.

Norman's son is my neighbour. Charles has inherited his father's lifetime of work - over a 1,000 paintings - and is exhibiting and selling.

I think Norman will one day be properly recognized for his tremendous and unique artistry. I adore his paintings.

Charles is letting me store a few other paintings in my suite. It looks like an art gallery

~westie

[constantine]

neato! thanks for the link; i'll check him out.