Life Extension
I’d have kept you alive
for 20 more years. You’d stop
wearing a beat-up Cincinnati
Reds cap to hide the thinning
tendrils of your blonde-gray
hair. I convince you that bald
is sexy. In your soaring
tenor you’d belt out two
original love songs at my front
yard wedding–only six of us &
Chrysiantha–under the Sugar
Maple. No more delivering
Dominoes at 2 am, double
cheese & pepperoni. Your album
climbs to #1 on the Americana
charts & you leave Nashville once
& for all with your faded blue
pick-up, red & white
Fender & Tina, your spectacular middle
age lover. You take Brenda, the sweet
dappled calico, along too; the light
of Carolina still strong in your voice.
12 thoughts on "Life Extension"
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Beautiful! Love the details and the enjambment!
Your words are so beautiful !
This is absolutely beautiful work, Linda.
Love this. You’re playing Goddess, imaginatively, and why not? You also get bonus points for describing a blessed event at which I was present. Love you darlin.
Very touching memory of what reads like a rare talent. Peas in a pod.
Nashville is full of “rare talent.” So many, like this dear friend had # 1 song recorded by a country group & blew most of the royalty money because he’d never had money before. He eventually ended up delivering Domino’s to make ends meet. He finally recorded a solo album and died from a stroke at 49 before it was released. TMI for you — sorry. Thanks for your comment.
i like the sense of darkness here. alway sort of close ( like in any decent country song) unreliable shadows..
The story behind is interesting, Linda, but the poem works without it. Just saying. xo
You’re a master of the story poem/
poem story. Your explanation of Mr. Rare-talent is as poetic as your wonderful poem.
Hard to tell a story in a poem but you do it!
First two lines pack such a punch — and the rest keeps us there.
Beautiful story, and once again, the enjambment works so well.