Monday, February 2, 2015

Kensi 'n' Tom - Naked as we stand



Listen to the full EP by clicking here

:: Honest reflections - TB

The light seems to brush
My left shoulder.
It leads all the way down
To my elbow,
Which on this occasion digs
Into my ribs.
Left hand gripping my brown locks.
The awkward pose leads me to ask
if my feet are on backwards.
Bruises paint my left leg.
Hair stands on end on the right.
There are the dangling bits
And the gangly bits,
The toned and the honed parts.
The toned and the honed parts
Must be mocking the floppy.
Whatever lives in that belly?
And why does it rumble like a bear?
My face is what I usually study.
On this occasion I forget it’s there.
I glance up and down
Each time checking if anything’s changed.



:: Laws of reflection - KC

You 
make it a habit
to stand before the looking glass
and face it proudly
like your own super hero.

Tonight you’re Wonder Woman.
(If only you brushed your hair on Sundays and 
had a cool tiara somewhere
to improve the immersion experience)

Note here these stretch marks,
this body,
a straitjacket to contain your rebellious soul.

Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.

The moment you made your mantra
your war paint, 
you could no longer be contained.

The first gray hair shows
to honor you 
for your restless efforts
over the years 
at being a better human than your reflection.

This vessel will fall 
with everything else in the world.
You never cared about 
keeping anything but your spirits up
anyway. 



N.B.:

- TB's official residence is Under the Toadstool. He likes to hang out. I like to have him here.
- These poems are shared with The Real Toads
- Nolite te bastardes carborundorum is pig Latin for "don't let the bastards grind you down." The phrase comes from Margaret Atwood's book A Handmaid's Tale and is tattooed on my chest. 
- Kensi 'n' Tom EP artwork by KC.

9 comments:

  1. Both of these are very cool!

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  2. Terrific--very human--I read and think yes, as if I'd exactly thought such things, and not sure that I have but glad they are thought for me now. Thanks, Kenia and Tom. k. (Manicddaily)

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  3. I love both of these--so true--I often see only part of myself. Let's embrace the surreal of the reflection, or cease to look at all.

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  4. I really interesting double reflection on body image.

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  5. Nice! Love these both, especially the droll observation about the immersion experience. :)

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  6. Oh yes.. looking oneself in the mirror can give rise to some thoughts indeed..

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  7. TB killed it with his opening line (love it) and you really came up with an outstanding closing lines. And everything sandwiched in between is unique and interesting!

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  8. Wow.. this line really got me "The moment you made your mantra
    your war paint,
    you could no longer be contained." May it be so for all of us, even when the bastards live in our own minds!

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