He has a pair of old, worn running shoes.
He never uses them - they have long outlived their use.
He simply keeps them in the corner as a keepsake, a reminder of the old days.
Nowadays he simply runs in bare feet. The fine Pacific sands are soft enough
that it never really bothers him.
that it never really bothers him.
Every day, in the gray early morning light, he creates a circle of hasty footprints,
three point eight six miles in circumference
(he measured the exact distance once many years ago.)
(he measured the exact distance once many years ago.)
His podal creations are soon destroyed by the rising tide.
He has a stack of old vinyl records,
Which he treasures and will often play in the afternoons.
There is not much else to do.
His musical tastes are quite eclectic but for the most part the records he owns
are rather subdued and introspective.
They keep to themselves.
This suits him.
He has a cat. He loves his cat.
It is really a very good cat. It is quite friendly but never a nuisance.
Best of all, it never bothers the beautiful many-colored tropical birds of the island,
Which he so loves to observe as they live out their simple, beautiful avian lives.
While birdwatching, he must take care not to come too close, or the birds will fly away in fear.
He has a small table next to his old iron frame bed with its horsehair mattress,
A simple affair that serves no aesthetic purpose and is simply a place to put things.
On it reside his stack of old vinyl records, a coffee-stained porcelain mug,
And a broken alarm clock.
When he arrived there actually were several beautiful picture frames sitting on the table.
The previous resident thought he might want to keep some framed pictures there.
He has never found much need for those beautiful, ornate frames, though,
and put them away in a closet shortly after his arrival.
He has a one thousand watt lightbulb.
It dwells in the room at the top of the tower,encased in a
beautiful, intricate, elaborate mirror lens.
beautiful, intricate, elaborate mirror lens.
It is the crown jewel. The intricate, beautiful focusing lens revolves around it.
So does he.
It is a warning of over three hundred thousand candle power.
It says to all others:
STAY AWAY!
THIS PLACE IS DANGEROUS!
AVOID ME AT ALL COSTS!
This suits him.
Elias, this is a beautiful poem! Not only is the imagery thoughtfully expressed, but you employed a very interesting poetic technique to illustrate your character. While you don’t explain who your character is, the objects that are key to his life show much more about the character than a conventional description would. It is also interesting to see the progression of this poem from something as innocent as a cat to the revelation of the recluse that he is. The end and the underlying descriptive aspects of this man’s life truly illustrate the eerie mood of the poetic plot. I wonder about your inspiration for this poem, and I urge you to enter this into writing contests.
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