He wasn’t like the rest of them.
When the others were watching the band, and each other, he was looking at the stars.
Looking for what? I don’t know, but he radiated a warm-hearted awareness of something bigger. Something bigger than everything, and everyone.
It made me want to touch him, it made me want to remove his clothes, his skin and climb inside. Climb inside and drink his truth, his realness.
I’m not sure when I first saw Hank James. I think it was the same day I really looked at the trees in the park. You know, when you find yourself feeling completely connected, completely free, completely sad. It was one of those rare days. I guess looking back on it, it kind of makes sense that he found me on a day like that.
I was sitting where the grass ended and turned to water, looking at the ducks, wondering why they always traveled in pairs, and if they were in fact smarter than what my grandfather thought they were when he shot at them.
He just sat down beside me, and touched my leg with his filthiness. He looked deep in to my eyes, and I looked in to his. And they were real. Real as the trees, real as his scars, and warm. Warm and hard, like old swords.
I don’t know what made me do it, I felt like his eyes were telling me that none of it was real, that nothing mattered anymore. I stood up, not leaving his eyes, and stepped in to the pond.
When I looked up at him, he was smiling, smiling like he’d achieved what he had come to do.
‘I don’t understand’ I said.
‘Look down’
I was standing on water.
It frightened me. I lost balance and fell.
‘You did that’ he said.
‘Both’
I climbed out of the pond and sat down beside him. He wrapped me in his tattered-leather, laughing. I narrowed my eyes and frowned at him.
‘I’m wet’ I said.
He kept his eyes on the ducks, and said nothing. I studied the lines of his face and tried to join the dots. There were so many, dots and spots, and scars, and lines. Yet I wasn’t afraid, he was so real, more real than anyone I had ever looked at, and so, so, so familiar.
‘I’m falling’ I said. ‘I’m falling off the edge’
He put his arms around me.
‘We’re all in the gutter, Lula Mae, but some of us are looking at the stars’
He stood up, and smiled. And wiped the water off my cheek. I could smell his history.
My honest god..
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
!
bobmarks, 3 months ago
Superb, the imagery came through and yet so very closely held together … Loved it.
ladyb in reply to bobmarks’s comment, 3 months ago
Oh thank you. x
bobmarks, 3 months ago
My pleasure, it read like a film the images reeling past my eyes… Like dust motes, catching the sun, making faces in the shapes they form….
Jessica Tremp, 3 months ago
she’s back…
Ushna Sardar, 3 months ago
It found it utterly awesome ladyb!
i love the flow! well done! keep up the great work!
ASmath, 3 months ago
The interesting thing about this piece is that the title seems to say it all. What a wonderful idea, too, that there are those of us who are only connected to the physical realities of life, but then there are others of us who are not only connected to those physical realities, but also “stop to smell the roses” so to speak.
Yasemin Sumner, 3 months ago
lovely lovely piece…but I have to agree…the title is one of those rare little shivery birds. beautiful.
Zolton, 3 months ago
You touched on some good things. I especially like “caress the total mess I am.” Great line.
rrohn, 3 months ago
“but he radiated a warm-hearted awareness of something bigger. Something bigger than everything, and everyone”...I loved that line. Great work.
observer, 3 months ago
I read this this morning and it keeps coming back to me, haunting prose for such a striking pic. I really liked it.
Jennifer Vickers, 3 months ago
It made me want to touch him, it made me want to remove his clothes, his skin and climb inside. Climb inside and drink his truth, his realness.
Such beautiful words to a touching work
flower68, 3 months ago
I almost welled up.just so human and so beautifully told.and I feel as if something brought me here so that he could tell me the same things.thankyou.
Damian, 2 months ago
Beautifully done, some wonderful moments in this!
ladyb in reply to Damian’s comment, 2 months ago
Thank you, so very kindly. xx
sssshuknowwho, 2 months ago
Beautifully written.
Mummified
,
2 months ago
beautiful.
Larasolnishko, 2 months ago
very creative piece of writing…i like it
Ushna Sardar, 2 months ago
Congrats hunnie xoxoxo
Miri, 2 months ago
lovely piece, sort of ethereal but grounded! (if that makes sense!), love the title too….many congrats as well!
natapee, 2 months ago
this is so gentle it just hums along. loverly.
ladyb in reply to natapee’s comment, 2 months ago
Thanks beautiful.