Sweet Words

I went out for dinner last night and almost quoted a song lyric at someone before I stopped myself. Poor poetry, you have such a bad reputation. But when it's short, smart and had some oomph it can still punch you in the stomach. Here are some I like (accompanied by a piece by Seb Lester above):

'I saw a man pursuing the horizon' Stephen Crane

I saw a man pursuing the horizon;

Round and round they sped.

I was disturbed at this;  

I accosted the man.

“It is futile,” I said,

“You can never —”

“You lie,” he cried,  

And ran on.

--

Lydia (an African prostitute) by Rhys Coren

Lydia

an African prostitute who worked the backstreets of Barcelona

stole my hat off my head as I walked past

As she did

I lunged for it instinctively

but she turned away from me quickly

stuffing my hat down into her ample cleavage

blocking my attempt to grab it

Despite her large size

she displayed an astonishing level of agility

and I was forced onto her back by our combined momentum

I had

want for a better word

'mounted' her

but more like one would mount a wild horse

not a lady of night

Undeterred by this

Lydia giggled

backed by a chorus of laughter from the other prostitutes

spinning in circles and bucking about - an attempt to throw me from my saddle

But

with both arms clamped tightly around her broad neck

I was more than prepared for a long and turbulent ride

It was

after all

my favourite hat

--

'Alicante' Jacques Prevert  (though its very hard to beat Les Feuilles Mortes)

Une orange sur la table

Ta robe sur le tapis

Et toi dans mon lit

Doux présent du présent

Fraîcheur de la nuit

Chaleur de ma vie.