White Doves in a Chinese Restaurant
It was one of those bored, ecstatic nights
Sitting in the bar of a Chinese restaurant
Balls in high spirits, belting, "I'm forever
Blowing bubbles, pretty bubbles in the air,
They fly so high, nearly reach the sky,
Then like my dreams they fade and die."
That's when I spotted the two of them
(The city from a distance at night)
Teenagers dropped off for gentle courtship
(The city is ablaze for me, and I stare).
Lo mein, and oh, man
His eyes how wide and filled with longing
She fixed a hair that wasn't out of place
They sighed with heartbreaking seriousness
The utter casualness of it!
(Innocence, how strange)
All fidgets and smiles and conventional wisdom
They're flamingos! They're a poem!
I saw visions of ghostly neon lights just then,
A Ferris wheel beneath the dharma red of dusk
Silhouetting a backdrop of sawdust and pearls
Swimming in my scorpion bowl, as red...
As red as love and Spanish mysteries
And I smiled because they had no idea
They were the heroes of this unbearably sweet night.
Sitting in the bar of a Chinese restaurant
Balls in high spirits, belting, "I'm forever
Blowing bubbles, pretty bubbles in the air,
They fly so high, nearly reach the sky,
Then like my dreams they fade and die."
That's when I spotted the two of them
(The city from a distance at night)
Teenagers dropped off for gentle courtship
(The city is ablaze for me, and I stare).
Lo mein, and oh, man
His eyes how wide and filled with longing
She fixed a hair that wasn't out of place
They sighed with heartbreaking seriousness
The utter casualness of it!
(Innocence, how strange)
All fidgets and smiles and conventional wisdom
They're flamingos! They're a poem!
I saw visions of ghostly neon lights just then,
A Ferris wheel beneath the dharma red of dusk
Silhouetting a backdrop of sawdust and pearls
Swimming in my scorpion bowl, as red...
As red as love and Spanish mysteries
And I smiled because they had no idea
They were the heroes of this unbearably sweet night.
posted by ... at 12:02 AM
12 Comments:
i LOVED these words - they will be stuck in my head all day :)
"Swimming in my scorpion bowl, as red...
As red as love and Spanish mysteries"
I love Chinese food (especially in Boston...) and observing others.
I'm completely enthralled while reading and re-reading this poetic story. Tone and imagery are superb.
The last stanza captivates me, linking ablaze in the beginning stanza to the passionate reds exquisitely described:
"dharma red of dusk/silhouetting a backdrop of sawdust and pearls/swimming in my scorpion bowl, as red.../As red as love and Spanish mysteries (The preceding line is my favorite of this poem.)
P.S. I find it interesting that the preceding commenter was struck by the same phrase that tenaciously holds my eyes to the screen.
prepwdb7 - Thanks! Those are my favorite lines of the piece, too.
gel - Your keen comments always make me smile.
There's something about Chinese food on a winter night with friends that's really appealing to me (even if the conversations are beyond ridiculous. heh).
p.s. I echo my previous comment on that. Thanks!
Thanks, I will remember this day and that couple as thought they were my own memories. I love the watching, I am there.
This is like quantum physics in reverse, instead of the observer effecting the observed, the observed effects the observer...
Granted the outcome is beyond quantitative now as the result is more than the positive-negative.
Sweet words
I think it's those convos (conversations) that add the true flavor to any gathering of friends more than the food. :)
P.S. My daughter and I had eaten Chinese take-in (delivered) earlier on the evening I saw this post. Sometimes it's as though other you read my mind, or perhaps, it's simply that the connection intersect more easily than one would imagine on the internet.
It's not as though we eat Chinese often, even though we love it. We'd not had it in a few months. She needed comfort and there were no more words.
not that it will mean anything to you BUT that song is THE song sung by the fans of UK football team West Ham United. a sad refrain but somehow captivating. much like your own poem which isn't at all sad but...you get my drift?
love proper chinese food. we often eat chinese on a saturday.
Thanks for the comments everyone. I'll be neglecting this site for the, hopefully not too distant, foreseeable future. And unfortunately, I won't be able to make it to yours.
Nope, won't be shark hunting in French Polynesia. Won't be sipping Cinzano and listening to the musicians of Bandol, either.
Strictly pecuniary endeavors.
Peace, love, happiness, and all that jazz.
Goodluck man and see you soon. I have been reading you and just been lazy enough and content enough to not say anything. Hope you see you back soon. Cheers.
SZ
pangga, don't stay out too long.
hi just dropping by... and then stopped and stared...
"His eyes how wide and filled with longing/She fixed a hair that wasn't out of place"
so innocent and lighthearted to make any stranger smile...
i hear music with your last stanza... a carnival's happy tune and the steps of flamenco dancers when i read
"Swimming in my scorpion bowl, as red.../As red as love and Spanish mysteries" (favorite lines hands down)
i am happy at the discovery of this new blog :D
I can but shake my head gently and look on. Vivid sensory snippet.
wanted to comment on the world not being cold and dark anymore...but hey, thats why it don't need any :)
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