"Silent Film"
Take a seat and get settled in,
The film is about to begin
To grow thick in this mind here,
And over there, thin.
Look! Craziness has brought a friend
So in the end, you can try to comprehend this.
Don’t feel apprehensive,
Don’t contend;
For now, wait until the movie ends.
Age-stained images flickering across this face,
Static attacking, ripping apart the border. A trace
Of unkempt feelings like sorrow and anxiety brings taste
To disgrace,
So you can indulge with haste
And crumple your paper-thin face with surfeit
And toss it at my feet
For me to pick up
Along with the rest of the film.
Please, don’t make it grow up
And grow old
And die inside of me,
And especially don’t let it live
Silently.
Fleeting expressions appearing like magic
From an ancient eye that observes a world so tragic,
Standing on its three wobbly legs,
Trembling due to its own weakness,
Or so says the world around it,
But no argument has ever been sounded
From an eye that sees only film.
The only way to stop this madness
Is to attach a lens cap, leave me blind to the mess
Of crumpled wrappers and stale tears in darkness.
If it doesn’t fit, make it!
Otherwise, I won’t make it!
Fiction is playing in my mind; it’s not erratic,
But please cut it short, please! I’m going manic
And the real memories are lost to static
Fizzing and failing in the corners of this box;
The extra garnish on this disgrace is toxic.
As the film takes over my all-seeing eye
Building up to the climax
The main character seems ready to die;
“And all the tension,
All the suspense,
With words both said and unsaid,
Carries over to this tragic end,”
Says the friend.