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Yolee Profile
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Chrome Swaddled Cruiser 1975


Winter’s dander had been brushed by sprigs
of spring, then, there you were, all earthy
and carrying seeds. I scouted you from the cellar
window of our 2 flat in the slot of mama’s ladybug
curtains, riding a Schwinn up and down the street.
You wore tan cutoff cords, a white t-shirt
and Pumas. I made a highbrow note to toss
out my camp shorts. You fixed mud-wet eyes
on the brownstone every two seconds. Poor Mrs.
Dunlap’s gardenias got the rubber squeeze four times.

A wedged-between-the-spokes baseball
card chatted like a certain Christian.
You, Cyrano, with your tush three inches
above the red banana seat, mastered
the gauche of a 15 year old. Mama yelled
at me from the kitchen’s gurgle to go hang
the wash outside. I dabbed on a bead
of tangerine lip-gloss, bucketed the whites
and clothespins, accepted responsibility
without so much as a grimace.

Jun/12/2009, 2:51 pm Link to this post Send Email to Yolee   Send PM to Yolee
 
ChrisD1 Profile
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Re: Chrome Swaddled Cruiser 1975


hi Yoly,

Good to see you here. This strikes me as a coming of age poem. N seems to be looking back at her younger self with real affection...not cloying or sentimental...very funny in parts and deep without sounding heavy.

I like the opening lines very much, especially:

"...and there you were, all earth
and carrying seeds. I scouted you from the celler."

I found this hilarious:

"...I dabbed on a bead
of tangerine lip gloss..."

followed by the last lines, which really left me thinking/wondering:

"bucketed the whites/and clothespins, accepted responsibility/without so much as a grimace."

I didn't understand the baseball card that "chatted like a certain Christian." Is that something I'd get if I'd gone to Sunday school?

This poem was a pleasure, Yoly. Hope to see more of you around these parts.

Chris

Last edited by ChrisD1, Jun/13/2009, 8:35 am
Jun/13/2009, 8:26 am Link to this post Send Email to ChrisD1   Send PM to ChrisD1
 
Terreson Profile
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Re: Chrome Swaddled Cruiser 1975


Good to see your post, Yolyfriend. Does this mean you were able to solve the access problem?

I've commented on the poem elsewhere. But I can tell you it sits as nicely on the brain as it did the first time I read it.

You know? I remember the playing cards in the spokes gambit for bringing attention to myself. I got this vague recollection that we used clothes pins to attach card to spoke. I am pretty sure we did.

As I think I said before what particularly strikes me about the poem is how the young girl is already looking into her maturity, what with the way she accepts responsibility. Good stuff.

Tere
Jun/13/2009, 8:40 pm Link to this post Send Email to Terreson   Send PM to Terreson
 
Yolee Profile
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Re: Chrome Swaddled Cruiser 1975


Hi Chris-

Thank you for your kind response to this poem.
I cannot access this site from my home.
I've yet to figure out why.
Anywho, it is the reason for my delay in responding. (At work now)
I appreciate your reading.

"I didn't understand the baseball card that "chatted like a certain Christian."
Is that something I'd get if I'd gone to Sunday school?"

Christian was Cyrano's stand-in.
The baseball card was this boy's stand-in.
He used the card, stuck between the spokes, to speak for him.

Tere-

Good to be here. Thank you for extending an invitation. I like the site.
As I mentioned above, the problem is still
with my home pc. Can't get securities or something like it worked out.
Glad the poem sits nicely with your great brain.

Cheers,
Yoly
Jun/17/2009, 12:24 pm Link to this post Send Email to Yolee   Send PM to Yolee
 


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