hollie ash

hollie ash Poems

If you want to kill my spirit
Put me in a concrete jungle
And make the most heart-pounding thing that happens each day the navigation of traffic on the freeway.
Tell me it's not safe to go out after dark.
...

sometimes i wake up on a Monday morning completely overwhelmed by the world.

then i get an official invitation from jason and roo, which i'm not sure i can accept, but i also can't turn down.
then i leave the house to discover stunningly perfect weather, in a completely un-Monday-like way.
...

i used to drive through this old town
now no one here knows the sound
of this car I'm drivin'
...

i was broken
i never saw the sun
looking for salvation
always on the run
...

if i were honest with myself
if i was free towards you
i could look beyond the now
with brevity and truth
...

we walked along the beach well after all normal people are in bed
and we spoke of being 19 and being 33 and found we had some things in common after all

we talked as we walked about the things we plan to do, the places we might go
...

the beauty of a woman
lies in her ability to break down at times
and to be tender in her touch
and fierce in her ambition
...

i awoke at 9: 15AM on the last saturday in october
feeling like the day was already underway and i'd missed it

the weather was nice, in a 'winter's coming' sort of way
...

I have noticed that, in the face of death by way of terminal illness, people are encouraged to do all the crazy things they've ever dreamed of.

And I have noticed that, in our able-bodied everyday lives, we are simply thought of as crazy when we pursue our dreams.
...

one time last summer i was sitting at a red light, eleven hundred miles from home. and it occured to me that perhaps i could just sit there forever.

i wouldn't have to pay any bills, or think of anything really. i could just sit there in neutral, literally and psychologically, for all of eternity.
...

she is too young! they whisper behind my back
it is hard to be such a young mother! they declare through pursed lips
how will she make it? they bemoan
she has no job and therefore no future! they predict
...

It is the spring of 1976 and the hard ground is dark brown.
The trees are leafless, and the road is ankle-deep with ruts.
The teal ford pickup, windows and tailgate permanently down, sits idle.
My mom’s hair is brown and long, her smile strained by hard times.
...

i do. i don't. i have. i am.
i was. i hurt. i can't. i can.
i wish. i fail. i plan. i lie.
i get. i give. i learn. i sigh.
...

I awoke at 6: 30AM to darkness, so I sorted photographs and did two loads of laundry.

When the day rose before me, crisp and clear and cool (exactly like you picture an October day to be) , I went out for hot chocolate - 16 ounce, no whip, orange straw - and spent $13.99 at Goodwill.
...

dusty road, hot wet heat
crunch of tires, shade of trees
ticket stub, erect the tent
crack two beers, make a friend
...

The Best Poem Of hollie ash

Instructions For The Death Of Me

If you want to kill my spirit
Put me in a concrete jungle
And make the most heart-pounding thing that happens each day the navigation of traffic on the freeway.
Tell me it's not safe to go out after dark.
And that the view between those buildings is a winner

If you want to kill my spirit
Make take-out a 'good meal'
And have a saleslady try to convince me to dropp a mil on a plastic box that looks just like hers and yours and theirs.
Discuss the smog index as casually as you speak of mustard.
And tell me that the city skyline is as pretty as the stars it hides.

If you want to kill my spirit
Show me a thousand fake smiles on women who have no laugh lines
Then take me to a loud and crowded bar and ask me to get to know someone who looks and smells like everyone else in the room.
Ask me to sit on plastic chairs in the scorching sun
And rejoice about the luck that got us here.

If you want to kill my spirit
Make air conditioning a social status
And tell me the woman who just got out of her BMW in a fast-food uniform has it all together.
Then show me the mall where that great little café used to be,
and tell me the story of its owner's demise.

If you want to kill my spirit
Make me believe the dogs like their leashed asphalt walk
Bring me home to sit in front of the TV to watch 'Man vs. Wild' and tell me it was all done on a sound stage 45 minutes away.
Assure me the sirens are something I won't even notice after awhile.
And that sweating for no good reason justifies a day off from exercise. Or hard work.

If you want to kill my spirit
Buy me a one-way ticket to LA, baby
Make me think I'm not thin enough, rich enough or pretty enough. That I'm not hot enough, cool enough, sexy enough or smart enough.
Put a drink in my hand and max out my credit cards.
And when my spirit is dead, you can say I've come a long, long way.

(written at LAX, August 2007)

hollie ash Comments

hollie ash Popularity

hollie ash Popularity

Close
Error Success