He stands at the mic,
craggy faded eagle
in a grey suit, singing the verse
in a voice of smoke
surrounded by stark figures
black like spectres
from his own youth.
As he finishes,
the band picks up the chorus
and he stands there
smiling with his eyes
closed, just listening
and you feel his whole
life in that smile
and your life, too,
as though the silent
voice of the most beautiful
losers has given
birth to the whole world.
as though the silent voice of the most beautiful losers has given birth to the whole world. Now that's poetry, Max. I need to check out Cohen. Thank you for putting him in the right light for me. Beautiful, man, dig it. A 'cha, Lori
I can visualize Cohen closing his eyes and soaking in the reverberations.... Thanks for a brilliant piece for a brilliant poet/singer. Love...Ray
Wow I would love to hear this as a song. I believe the second to last line should read 'have' rather than 'has' unless I missed something there. By the way your picture is great. I could see that on an album cover too! Thanks for the enjoyment of your vision. best wishes, eliza
I was lucky enough to see Leonard Cohen last year and this poem pretty much sums it up. Good stuff.
A impressive piece capturing the tone of Mr Cohen's wonderful work. Susie.
Max, I loved this, for its poetic qualities as much as its tribute to and representation of the man, though strictly speaking these elements can't be teased apart in this brief but very convincing portrayal. Without 'craggy faded eagle' the picture would be incomplete, and less accurate. Those who've seen him and listened at length will appreciate the validity of that metaphor. Great echo of 'Joan of Arc' in the 'voice of smoke', and the exit on the 'silent voice of the beautiful losers' is very evocative and apt (and your linking of a singular noun with a singular verb in the penultimate line is bang on too!) , and my guess is that he would have been revelling in the musical moment and all its memories during that eyes closed, smiling state you capture so well. A fitting tribute! ! (I'm your fan.) . (Did I miss anybody?) jim
Read the poem again, which I love, and have put in favorites, Noticed a comma missing in my original reply, which changed the meaning, Just found this one Max, I am a Cohen fan, No (,) Disciple is more nearer the truth. You have him perfect Well Done Colin...
I saw/heard that wonderful disc courtesy of netflix. Cohen certainly has lived his life 'true to himself' and his work. certainly not a case of an artistic life instead of the art itself, or of the secret artist
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Just an incredible piece. A fitting tribute from one great poet to another.