Commonplace Poem by Raymond Rivera
Commonplace
I useto speak of death
as if it did not exist.
Five years old,
skies of blue with lollipops
and watching cartoons
getting shot in the face
with no repercussions.
I was poised to live forever.
Nineteen years old now
going on seventy,
death seems
like it's around the corner,
like an army tank,
loaded and ready to shoot.
You can't beat death
but there is no way
to embrace the thought
of endless slumber
either.
I must find someone to love
so they can inject my veins
with their sweet
sedative.
I won't be attractive forever.
Stuck dead center
in my mid-life crisis.
I'm still so young.
Pray to God,
bless my life.
I really appreciated your comments, for once it was clearly from someone with a brain on this site. Half of the time it's just people spamming me so I'll go read their poems, but I could tell that wasn't your intention. And honestly I've really enjoyed reading yours as well (which, if you know anything about me it's that I rarely actually like reading other people's poetry...) . This one in particular was my favorite; something I've spent some time pondering myself. (the whole 'mid-life crisis' at so young thing..) And my dad's side of the family is from Puerto Rico, my uncles and cousins live there in Ponce. Beautiful island for the most part.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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5/2/2024 5:33:19 AM # 1.0.0.1119
The juxtaposition of childhood images with death fear is quite effective; I like especially the startling getting-shot-in-the-face cartoon example. It brought back memories for me from the 1950s; the 'Toons have been indestructible from the start. I wonder if this is really good for young-and not-so-young-minds. A provocative write!