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Tuesday 3 August 2010

Hopes And Dreams: A Poem By Pete Marshall


Hopes And Dreams: 
A Poem By Pete Marshall

Silence views a numbered face
its tick a steady, constant pace
disturbed by shouts & breaking glass
doors are slammed on parking cars
and parent frets alone in bed
whilst vodka fuels a gangland debt
an acned face that puffs on bob
and work is just a sign-on job
who meets his mates in cycle P
then sits and stares at soap filled screens.

Single mum will bring him chips
then out to screw some local chicks
that pride themselves in nothing skirts
who eye the metro-sexual shirts
then up against abrasive walls
that rub the backs of hardened fools
who’s future lies in wasteland dreams
and bass that pumps from flash machines
that burn on hopes of fast earned cash
and live the life’s of spoiled WAGS
whilst mum still sits alone and frets
her lonely life of drunk regrets.

***************

This is my poem for One Shot Wednesday, run by One Stop Poetry, a fast growing community for poets & writers of all genres to share their work, express and make friends


image courtesy creative commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/artysmokes/

58 comments:

Claudia said...

sad picture you are painting today pete..unfortunately it's a true picture and some of "our" kids just lose track. a good friend of ours is working with teens like this (and worse) and i think it needs a big change of thinking in our society to give them a future - and that's what they - and we - need
thanks for pointing it out

Marshy said...

Hi Claudia..it is such a waste that i see so often..a vicious circle created by our modern society and enhanced by the recent recession...thanks for commenting..Pete

Brian Miller said...

by the title i was thinking this one was going to be a happy post pete...dang...i feel for mum...medicating her worries....scary place...this has a rampant pace to it and wonderful flow...peter peter the poet writer...ONE SHOT!

Marshy said...

But Bri you had Dawn Chorus..i cant do two happies in one week...cheers Pete

anthonynorth said...

This becomes increasingly poignant as you read. Nicely done.

Desert Rose said...

It is sad indeed Pete,but i still hope one day things would change..even here it is almost the same darkness..still,you put it wonderfully with a very good skill..:)
Great read Pete..cheers :))

Bill Cook said...

Well written and disturbing read. I appreciate that you push into poetry that makes us uncomfortable. - Bill

dustus said...

Sadly true to life for many— going through or seeming to go through the routine motions. Musical lines from beginning to end. Cool pic too. Great poetry. cheers, Pete

Beachanny said...

A slice of life poem, dark, dangerous, edgy and imagistic. The scene is well painted and the rhyme is effective.

Kira Stann said...

It is a testament to our day and age and a sad fact of life that there are kids out there who have to deal with all this. Im so glad my children don't.

Arts Web Show said...

Powerful, gritty.
I like it

Kay said...

sad? yes. sad reality of many. not all are fairytale dreams...

nicely done.

signed...bkm said...

Great writing but very sad indeed that life leaves gives the short end to so many...the hope is that the children do learn and prosper...nice read...bkm

Glynn said...

That playful rhyming and almost-rhyming fits the subject well. @petemarshall1 is one of my favorite poets on the web.

Amanda said...

Sad and heart touching poem..a fact that happens way to often. You have written it so well and your picture compliments the poem. Thanks so much x

moondustwriter said...

so he comes back from vacation with a saddddddddddddd poem.
it is very well written and sadly our society sinks during trials such as economic downturns

Nice PETE

smiles from the Moon

TALON said...

So sad that this is the truth of life for so many. You expressed it well, Pete. "drunk regrets" - that's poignant and powerfully sad

Unknown said...

A depressing slice into reality

G-Man said...

You have captured a universal moment My Friend. A mother's lament knows no boundarys!
Great Piece of work.
Thank you also for your kind words.
Galen

Anonymous said...

Unrelentingly grim, Pete. I have known such people, and they are just people like me... only I had a lucky break. :(

Emmanuel Ibok said...

This is deep and sad and the emotion involved gives a depressing feel.

You painted the picture so well...I had to read again.

Cheers!

Jessie said...

vivid and real. your piece holds nothing back. i wish the high and mighty politicans could see the world through the lens you wrote here. maybe...just maybe...

btw, you are very talented.

smiles,

Caty said...

Sad that his hopes and dreams are lost...and his mum's too. emotional picture with your words, here.

Maude Lynn said...

How very sad!

Katherine Krige said...

Aw Pete, to come back from vacation with such a stark poem on society's failings. Well, written, but as noted by many a sad statement.

go someplace happier next vacation

heartspell said...

Sad, but "right on" commentary on today's lost youth of our society and the resulting effects on their parents....or could it be viceversa? or some of both?
Anyway, well said and very poignant with a great flow. Heartspell

Marshy said...

moonie & kkridge you made me smile...but sometimes i like to write what i see and as i returned from a wonderful vacation to the seaside town where i live the stark reality of life here hit me...when you have escaped to the wilderness and lived a fantasy for a week returning home to grim, dark streets & wasted reality hits you...oh yeah and i am a miserable bugger!!!!!

Marshy said...

Glynn...thank you so much for your comment...you have always been very supportive of my work and to read your latest comment really made me prod..cheers Pete

Marshy said...

heartspell you were so right..i wanted to mix the mother aspect and their life into this...the worry about what their children are doing whilst knowing at the same time they were no different and where did it leave them!!!

where i live this is such a sad cycle of life and my heart goes out to them..cheers Pete

Marshy said...

jessie ..thank you..i hope so

I know i have picked a few names to comment to but please dont feel left out..all you comments are very much appreciated...

this poem is so reflective of a life that society creates..how do we stop it.......

Mory said...

The single mom lines are very sad indeed. well we must learn to dream and hope and not to give into the despair. nicely done.

Marshy said...

thanks mory..that is the key and if we do slip we must find our way back again..cheers Pete

Kat Mortensen said...

A great barrage of images. Nice one!

Marshy said...

thanks Kat..yep there was a lot happening in that piece..cheers pete

JamieDedes said...

Oh, Pete, I used to work with foster youth and at-risk kids here in U.S. and this rings so true. Sensitive spirit in you ... very fine work. I like the stages you created so that we go deeper and deeper. Thanks!

Marshy said...

Hi Jamie..thanks for your kind comments..it seems that the same problems cross the world.....cheers Pete

Shosannah said...

Such a sad poignancy this poem has.
It lingers and haunts.
The picture is stark, real and raw. The human beings lost in these cycles casualties of false promises.
You trace the outline of fading hopes and dreams wonderfully and tragically.
A brilliant poem.

Kavita said...

This is such a sad story.. a mother working hard to give her kid a decent life, and in the process dreaming up big dreams for him.. while he squanders away his life and everything else with it, on every indulgence, and in the process shattering all dreams of his mother... and she is saddened by it, and drinks it all up ... and the cycle continues... (sigh)

Where to begin, and where and when to end it - who is to know?
This is beautifully portrayed here, Pete..
Thanks for sharing...

Patty Sherry said...

It's raw, truthful, depressing...yet not. I can't help but be reminded of the play in NYC American Idiot, inspired by Green Day music, it ties in so naturally with this poem's message. I really enjoy your work, Pete

Marshy said...

suzy, kavita & patty sherry...many thanks for your well thought comments...likened to Green Day..proud of that thanks...cheers Pete

Anonymous said...

Dark, my friend. For my 2 cents I'd want you to tighten up the rhymes or let them go. But that's just me. The portraits you draw are strong enough to carry your words.
http://mairmusic.wordpress.com/

Sorry Blogger won't post Wordpress lately, so this is coming in as anonymous...

CM said...

This reminds me of the world I work in and the people I deal with. It's almost like they don't know any different...or maybe they do but don't know how to change.

Corbie said...

What a good poem. Sad that this is the life that some lead. Parents try so hard to see that their children don't make the same mistakes. For this mom in particular all she can do is worry, wait and hope that no harm comes to her child. Well written.

Wild Rose said...

You painted us a very awful image but as realistic as can be. Seen such things, kids with parents who are drug addicts and just looking for the next score. Makes me bleed for them inside and i actually got into public health because of wanting so badly to make a difference in their lives in any little way i can. Thanks again for the wonderful work at One-stop Pete. Work keeps me so busy these days but i try my best.

Wild Rose~

Keith Wallis said...

sure is a bleak picture pal

L.L. Barkat said...

"Silence views a numbered face"

that was my absolute favorite line...

Jhpoetry said...

"Deep & thought provoking" nice oneshot

Teresa said...

How depressing! It really does give a realistic picture of too many people's lives these days. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Jenna said...

Raw, real and terribly sad in how much truth resonates within this.

Marshy said...

mair...thanks for your comments...its my fault and the way i write..i like rhyme sometimes to be not so direct..if that makes sense?

cm, Cor , wildrose,keith, ll, jh teresa & jenna..thanks also..its not a happy subject but when you have as much time on your hands as i do currently you cant help but notice things in the cycles of life you now frequent...

cheers

Pete

Christine Ramsay said...

You paint a heartbreaking scene which is so typical of life today. A brilliant piece as always.

Christine

Sheri said...

hello peter :) i'm just now getting to catch up on my favorite follows, and so glad i stopped by!
there is so much pain and lack of purpose in a life that is lived for oneself...it just takes so long for some to figure it out ;) truly a fantastic work, my friend!

John (@bookdreamer) said...

It's the sort of estate that my mother lived on and some of my sisters still do. It captures the despair of the life that knows it has no future of hope...for the moment. Thanks for dropping by and reading Campaigning. I’m drawn to poetry as a storytelling technique and this was about the life of a woman emptied out by the political ambitions of her husband.

Marshy said...

Hi Chris ...thanks for your comments..and glad you keep popping by

Hi sheri..many thanks for your kind praise

Hi John..thanks for sharing that..in the Uk it is all too common

cheers again Pete

Ben Langhinrichs said...

Surprised me with the title and the tone, but I very much like the pace of the poem. You barely have time to catch your breath, yet there is a tired sadness to it all which seems to barely move at all.

Well done.

Anonymous said...

I would like to exchange links with your site petemarshall.blogspot.com
Is this possible?

Diane said...

Hi Claudia..it is such a waste that i see so often..a vicious circle created by our modern society and enhanced by the recent recession...thanks for commenting..Pete

Brian said...

But Bri you had Dawn Chorus..i cant do two happies in one week...cheers Pete