…in the derelict shop, black and yellow
“do not cross” summoned us to play.
Every inch of the wreck was cool, but
the charred remains on the table were best;
we imagined the tortures of hell
in our captured enemy base.
Moonlight shone through the ceiling
on that lone table, and we
interrogated each other for hours,
weaving a blanket of lies
’til the cold of dawn broke
our resolve.
Then we let the ghosts lie, snuck home:
warm beds, breakfasts,
lives not destroyed by loss.
Kaolin Imago Fire is a conglomeration of ideas, side projects, and experiments. Outside of his primary occupation, he also develops computer games, edits Greatest Uncommon Denominator Magazine, and very occasionally teaches computer science. He has had poetry published in Strange Horizons, Every Day Weirdness, and Bull Spec, among others.
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WE PLAYED HOUSE LIKE MEN by Kaolin Imago Fire,
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Posted on February 23, 2011 in Literary
8 Responses to “WE PLAYED HOUSE LIKE MEN by Kaolin Imago Fire”
Comments
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February 23rd, 2011 at 8:44 am
Well written, good flow. The subject matter is unusually interesting, much more exciting children’s game than I can remember. I like this poem very much.
February 23rd, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Very inventive imagination.
Simple clear imagery
5 slightly charred stars.
Thank you Kaolin
February 23rd, 2011 at 1:16 pm
I must say I enjoyed this poem a great deal. Simple, and clear, what is more I like your name, it sings to me…If it is your pen name great, if it your given name, all the better. Nice work Kaolin, by any name the rose would be as sweet. Thank you, I for one will be watching for your next work, Kudos…Art Spelman
February 23rd, 2011 at 2:02 pm
a wise observation : boys play at War in a burned out
ruin without ‘lives destroyed by loss’. Then they grow
up and forget that lesson, pushing buttons on computers
launching Cruise missiles. The title clever “we played
house like men” I assume means War, destructively.
February 23rd, 2011 at 10:17 pm
Intense. Says a lot more after the poem is read.
February 24th, 2011 at 10:24 am
I think the “blanket of lies” is the focus.
February 25th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
Splendid imagery that conjures an intense scene and then smacks you upside the head with reverse POV on the sense-less-ness of it all as the significance of the title sinks in. Well done!
March 4th, 2011 at 2:39 pm