Sunday, July 25, 2010

Poetry In Plain Sight - Raindog

The beat goes on, this time is Raindog, who on first glance, I know we are two different people living on this planet. He has experienced stuff I'm not going to understand. It is a masculine, hard knock focus of living. It is an appreciation that we come from different spaces.



This is a recording of one of his poems that he read at the Saturday Afternoon Poetry reading at the library. Raindog is a poet and publisher; his publishing company is called Lummox Press. I bought two of his books and there is good stuff twixt the covers.

The poems and stories are full tilt living until the brick wall causes you to stop and ponder the wisdom of your actions. Reading poems from a very strong masculine voice has provoked questions.

There is a poem of Raindog's that ticked me off. It might explain why I'm not going to be dating much in my future. It is the one on page 139 of FIRE and RAIN Vol. 1 where he is talking about reaching the age when the older women he use to seek out now remind him of his mother.

This is the first stanza:

I have reached that age where the older women
whose company I once sought (because it made
me feel more mature) now all remind me of my
mother and the desire to go to bed in the grave
each night put me off so badly that I can't stand
the sight of them the next morning.

Other Women
FIRE and Rain
RD Armstrong
Selected Poems 1993-2007
Vol. 1 page 139

It starts out like you want to slap him upside the head. As you keep reading the rest of the poem in the book you find out that time and space have done it for him.

It is a good poem but the sucker does generate questions in me. If men my own age look at me and see their moms and I look at them and see them for who they are in the here and now then I can see why there is an uptick of Rocky Road ice creme and beer on Saturday nights.

I'm a Cherry Vanilla person with leanings to Vanilla Fudge Swirl but I have taken the pledge not to indulge for a bit. I have brick walls of my own that I'm trying not to slam into.

2 comments:

  1. The thing I do like about Raindog is that his voice is authentic. He's telling his truth rather than sugar coating it. My first husband was 20 years older than me - I was the young thing he tried to escape aging with. (Didn't work.) My 2nd husband is two years older but he recently asked me to color my hair again (I'd let the white/gray grow out.) I decided that was something I could do because it did make me look older than I felt and I did become invisible in some ways I'm not yet comfortable with. Still, I do find that there are a few guys in the middle of life who aren't only going for chickee-poos and who like smart women of middle age. About five Black women I know got married between age 50-60 six years ago. It happens.
    Another male poet's blog to check out is: wrinkledman.blogspot.com

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  2. Yeah, yeah and my true love will know my name. Sorry. I'm in grump mode today. Lack of sleep. And Ruby slippers. And sleep.

    I don't see how it can happen when men do not see themselves for the age they are. If they keep dating the age they want to be then there is much confusion in the land.

    I'm clear on one thing this day. Burning the late night oil ain't what it use to be, I could function on 5 hours sleep. Not anymore.

    Maybe I'll dream of some good man snuggling me.

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