Ennui
If life is change
why do my days feel the same?
The sun rises, it falls,
in between I give someone
my precious time,
compromise my beliefs
to keep the peace
and the fuel gauge above E,
numb to it all
even to the ticking whiskers
of the cat-faced clock
that meows the hours
my wife hung in the kitchen
because she thought
it made sense there.
13 thoughts on "Ennui"
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I like that there is no punctuation in the clock stanza.
Particularly like ” my wife hung in the kitchen ” for too many reasons to list.
and overall another really solid, really deep piece.
had to add that opening bit with a question is brilliant.
Thank you Coleman. And for your generous offer. I started a new job a few months ago and don’t have enough vacation time accrued to take advantage of a retreat at present, but hopefully that will change soon — I’ll reach out.
Love it
Another sad, brilliant poem. Your endings are always fantastic and this one is no exception.
love “even to the ticking whiskers / of the cat-faced clock /
that meows the hours”
the lines remind me of Salette Tavares’s poem, translated by Isobel Sobral Campos & Kristofer J. Petersen-Overton, in Lex Icon
Clock
Hours are the measured delay of time
The clock tracks them mentally
and presents them
with a finger.
Thanks for sharing this with me, Gaby. I can see the lineage.
Love:
the ticking whiskers
of the cat-faced clock
that meows the hours
the fuel gauge above E,
Well, I might be numb to a cat clock, as well. (I’m a dog person.) But, this is a beautiful poem, Bill, and I have been there, too.
This is one of best
definitions of ennui
you’re ever going to see
I certainly wasn’t bored reading this poem! it’s another fabulous piece. I missed some days, so I look forward to going back this summer and rereading all of your work. You are an enchanting writer, and thank you for the reminder that I need to get gas. My needle is on E.
Thank you! This group is so supportive, my heart is full.
Felt this–“compromise my beliefs/to keep the peace/and the fuel gauge above E” though meowing the hours might just be a bridge too far for me–