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THE SUIT
He looked at her,
annoyed. Frustrated.
Again, she was on
one of her rampages
and he wasn't making
matters any easier.
After throwing a glass,
instead of something worse,
he went downstairs and
snatched the scotch.
It went down good.
A bit too fucking good.
Another sip.
And then, he remembered
their first date; went
to his closet and tried
to find the suit he wore.
It was a sad suit now,
but so fucking regal
in its heyday.
He touched its
texture and wanted
to wear it. And then
he smelled the musk
on the suit from
the night they met.
It certainly brought him
back. A shiver.
He smirked at the noise
she was making somewhere
in their house and all
he could do was wonder
how they got there?
"The Suit" by Anthony Venutolo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Hosted by The Internet Archive, download MP3 here. Music by Boom Boom Beckett, track4 "Quiche Lorraine" from the album "Vélos" and provided by Jamendo.
Another great prose poem from the master of them. I love how you draw the lines between the once regal worn out suit and the relationship. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteNow the question is whether or not the suit still fits.
ReplyDeleteSnazzy, as always.
I like this prose poem, but I have to ask, do you have a system or feeling for when to break the lines? Is it based on visuals or how it scans?
ReplyDeleteTechnicalities aside, this story smells good.
Hey Barry... That's a good question. Often times, it's a combination of tone, appearance, rhythm and pace.
ReplyDeleteI find that while there are no rules per se, I write the stanzas (and rewrite many of them as well ;)) with an innate gut feeling.
I dunno... If you read some of Raymond Carver's poetry, you may see what I mean.
liked it before, like it now.
ReplyDeleteFantastic!
ReplyDeleteWell written and well read. I liked your audio reading, Anthony. You sounded personal and confessional without being too angsty. Nice addition to the many ways you're presenting your work.
ReplyDeleteJeanette Cheezum
ReplyDeleteVery well done. Vivid and meaningful.
Great idea this. For my personal taste I reckon you could read a little slower, a bit like the pace of the title, with a lazy jazz feel.
ReplyDeleteI like the mood and the poem a lot. The music is perfect though I found the other sound effects distracting. Keep the emphasis on the words. Great to experiment and hats off - did you use a mic or your phone?
ReplyDeleteThe sound affects work, it's just the timing is slightly off, that may be what MS is reacting to.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this way of presenting words! I appreciated the layering of sound with the words, music and sfx. (I was dreading listening to a dry poetry reading, but enjoyed this).
Love this! Great prose, music, and your voice is smooth as that scotch. The whole piece is a bit too fucking good.
ReplyDeleteIf the suit still fits, wear it. But have it dry-cleaned first.
ReplyDelete(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
I enjoyed the poem and the reading. The piano in the background added to my image of it being read in a smoke-filled coffee house, with an audience of beatniks nodding and murmuring, "yeah man, we feel your pain."
This rocks, man. Good work.
ReplyDeleteLoved your voice with this piece. Smooth and entertaining. You kept the prose balanced with reality and that jazzy style you have about you.
ReplyDeleteExcellent work, Anthony.
(I don't know anything about reading aloud in audio, but I loved the music. Your pacing seemed fine to me, I'd rather not have had the sound effects though.)