Disclaimer

This publication is the exclusive property of cjschlottman, and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this blog may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, cjschlottman. All rights reserved.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Curtains



Curtains


I see my world through gauze curtains 
wafted by fog tumbling over 
itself into the corners of my brain.
Behind my eyes a carousel 
of blurred images swirl
to organ music piped into my ears.
Hints of smoke filter through my nose
riding on the memory of a 
skirt aflame   engulfing my leg.
Thunder rattles my drowse   winds blow
through the curtains   snatching them down
   their remnants strewn across my bed.
I drift from sleep to consciousness
   nausea strikes from within   pain
emerges from behind the screen 
of Lortab.
Attacked by unseen torches    my 
wounds reignite   scorch my flesh anew
   send tears sliding down my face.
I taste their salt   reach for the bottle
   wait for opaque curtains to once more
surround me   hide me from my pain.    
© cj Schlottman
August 30, 2001

4 comments:

Martha Gates-Mawson said...

Brilliant. I love this - you've found some poetic beauty in your pain. But then again, how many brilliant poems have pain as their source? I love your poetry.

Ed Pilolla said...

the routine of numbing out pain. i have a very established routine myself. i like this scene. the gauze curtains and fog really establish a mood setting. i also like the blur between fog and smoke, fire and pain, and liquid to relieve.

Judie said...

CJ, you have painted a word picture of your night after the fire, and it is so touching.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

CJ, this is so powerful, deep and yet beautiful. Every phrase is provocative. I'm so impressed and inspired by your poetry!
xoRobyn