Venom Poem by M.J. Lemon
Venom
Rocco and Sandy
were free spirits and
the people next door knew
because
that's what Sandy told them
They were a couple
They played for years traveled all
the world that was worth seeing and then moved
in, Rocco and Sandy
she kept her pet constrictor on ice
in the freezer because his free spirit
was too much
for anyone around
to handle
She talked to Rocco in a voice
that bled into the walls of the neighbour's place
the place across the lane
A voice that carved its
meaning into a being
with a purpose that seemed to be to drown out
the vacuum cleaner
or construction workers who might be
jackhammering somewhere on the block
Sandy made sure the dog
was walked and groomed
mornings
and when both were home
that the vegetables got chopped
exactly
at four
for dinner
at six
Certain days were always for laundry
others for cleaning props and sorting
costume jewelry
one day before Easter
all of Rocco turned as hard and cold as
the snake
found both Rocco and the antifreeze
in the shed
The other surprise came one Sunday when
Sandy became the one to keep
tradition alive by asking next door
for the orange juice to
go with the Southern Comfort and vodka
and Blue
they were a real couple
Wow! You've scared the living crap out of me! I knew a similar couple. Man, that woman's voice drowned out every thing and every one. To the best of my knowledge, she hasn't killed him. And I don't think that she ever will. Thank God for that! Excellent write, M.J.! ! ! !
Thank you so much, Richard. Yes, this is based on vague memories of a couple. I hope they are not typical...I'll never forget your reaction....Thanks again.
i've left a previous comment and now am resurrecting from MyPoemList to place in my/our August showcase on my sit. Thanks. it's a real 'knee-slapper'! ! bri :)
And here I thought we've had some odd neighbors- -these two sound barely housebroken on one hand and then sound so rigid and narrow and chained to their ruts on the other hand..... If I lived next door to the survivor, I think I would sell and get out of harm's way even if I had to sell at a FINANCIAL loss. This is a very disturbing look at a couple- -disturbing but fascinating to see a victimizer at work. and perhaps the victimized had the last word... like I said, this is a totally fascinating murder/suicide mystery! 10! ! !
Susan, thank you so very much for this remarkable, insightful comment. Yes, everything you say resonates completely. What I've written about here comes from memories and memory fragments buried for a long, long time. It could really be that the memories have been impacted by the years. Youth has a certain way of seeing things- emphasizing the extreme, - the fear and fearful....Again, thank you so much.
What an odd couple. So much to think about and take in with this one. A fascinating write. I felt a little sorry for the snake though, an innocent victim, just being a snake doing what a snake does.
Thank you, Simone! Yes, I remember that snake and every time I think about it I, too, feel sorry. In some ways that creature is the metaphor for so much that happened with R and S.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/16/2024 5:01:30 PM # 1.0.0.1119
This is really a beautiful narrative poem on venom having touching expression with nice collocation. I appreciate the way of presentation. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Kumarmani. This poem is about a distant memory. Thanks again.