A jolt of joy and promise
A young man’s wicked smirk
Dough-soft and putty-pink,
Nature’s punching bag
Bullied no longer - he exploded.
This little pig went ape.
The smooth structure of night
The way we feed
The lavish consumption
The hunger
I feel that missing “o”
Hanging off of a sad moustache.
In and out and in and out
Relishing every minute
Wishing this could rattle on forever.
Silently, she shows him.
At the edge - nothing so vulgar
Life lived to the hilt
Between the sincere and insincere
The smack of satisfaction
The ratio of demons to angels
Where there can be only sorrow
Sprawled in a haze of heroin
How crushing addiction can be
A spirit from the same tribe
The flame of feeling that stoked
Inside that ordinary body
An immaculate jacket
Helplessly he stands there.
Arms flapping at his sides.
Slumming was not an option.
He joined the barn dance
His hair neatly brushed by a fussy mother.
Triggering the blind rage rough red-faced rant.
The pains that he took
To camouflage his bag of tricks.
The full-blooded swagger
Putting on a show.
A modest approach
An unexpected trait
A force of nature
The bulk and blaze of him - that’s gone.
********
In memory of Philip Seymour Hoffman. This is a cutout poem for the Imaginary Garden taken from the February 11, 2014 New Yorker article the Master. All the words in this poem are from this article and in the order they appeared.
Very cool write.
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing piece, Sam. A fitting tribute but also a poem about Everyman - the anti-hero in every society.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kerry. "The Master" depicts an Everyman character, and Philip Seymour Hoffman played one in art as well as life. I wish he had been saved and able to live.
ReplyDelete(Everyman is a medieval morality play in which one actor stands in for everyone and thus reveals the human condition through his actions.)
excellent, Sam ~
ReplyDeleteYou do him honor and justice. I recognized the article as soon as I read your poem, having read it yesterday. Really well done.
ReplyDeletewow, wonderful and compelling, Sam. i've been quite impacted by his death (well, in addition to his acting) and this is a fine, fine representation.
ReplyDeleteWell cut, my friend...you have found a new voice to pay tribute to a such a lovely man, right from the newsprint ashes of his death. Viva la and thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteNice, Sam, very nice ~~ I think we all were impacted some by Hoffman's death. He was doing so good there for a long while. One never knows.
ReplyDelete"Sprawled in a haze of heroin
How crushing addiction can be "
Did you know that Charles Dickens had an addiction to heroin? I loved reading Dan Simmons' book, Drood. I also have Dickens' unfinished Drood on my iP's (pad and phone) but haven't read his, the original, yet. Simmons' book told about the addiction.
..
I didn't know about dickens - I knew bout the Romantics - Blake, Shelly, Wordsworth - were all hopped up on Laudanum. There is a legacy of addiction in the Arts for sure.
DeleteBeautifully penned. The bulk and blaze of him. That's gone.
ReplyDeleteWhen Philip Seymour Hoffman wasn’t on-screen, you missed him. He had so many more characters to play.
Sometimes the noise is too much.
He will be greatly missed.
His death has touched so many people. I like the picture you added - just showing him in a human moment.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully done Sam. Very impressive images and intense emotions.
ReplyDeletewow. Very well done!
ReplyDeleteWonderful. A great flow to it and the various images that come up are really good. The progression towards the end is also well done.
ReplyDelete-HA
The bulk and blaze of him … gone. So many "moments" in this poem that speak volumes. I'd like to think that someone(s) will learn from this and change their ways.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked to learn of his death & the cause of it ~ How this drug addiction got the best of such a talented man ~ Very well done Sam ~ And Welcome to Real Toads ~
ReplyDelete