If I Have Been Unkind

                 Leonard Cohen - Bird on the Wire (live performance 1972)

Cohen dirges on,

If I, if I have been unkind,
I hope that you can just let it go by. …

And drink in hand, tears in eyes,

his mournful song does naught but deepen my distress.

It is the knowing that cruel words

spat out with such finesse,

so delicate in aimed precision,

so skillful,   artfully used to cut nerve deep,

pierced your very being, rocked your self-esteem,

keeps you away from the want of me.

I first well with this, triumph-filled -

but then derision framed in sweet revenge

for such a meagre sin,  rebounds,

mocks me from within,

conscience pricked sword turns in upon itself.

I have to ask myself –

is this self-pity or self-contempt,

do I exempt myself from all but perfect love,

am I hurt for you or am I hurt for me?

(But I swear by this song
And by all that I have done wrong
I will make it all up to thee.) 

Is slight for slight worth all of this? 

God how I long for you,

yearn soft kisses lip on lip,

bodies moulding hip on hip. 

Forgive me; forgive me please.

Please, please take me back

as I do so love you so (heart and soul)

and I have saved me, saved me,
saved all my ribbons,

saved all my ribbons for thee. 

I am so sorry.

Anna :o]

Mary’s prompt tonight at dVerse is that of Leonard Cohen and Place.

I was first introduced to Leonard Cohen by my (ex) brother-in-law and immediately fell in love with his words, his gravely voice and all that was him.  As teenagers do I would play him at full blast, after opening my bedroom windows, so that the entire world could take a share of him, know of him.

The above poem is a true story and relates to a time when I (publicly) said hateful things to my handsome one – the man I was eventually to marry.  It was slight for slight – but my venom was totally uncalled for and he ‘broke up’ with me and for ten awful days we were apart.

After much pleading with his mother (on the phone) he agreed to speak to me and we met up again.  During these ten days he had grown a hairy caterpillar above his top lip and later a full beard followed and he remains my hairy handsome one to this very day.

Although I love Leonard – I would not recommend anyone listen to some of his songs if depressed and in charge of alcohol – for tis true you will become more depressed.

PS Not quite happy with the final stanza – will probably tinker with it on a daily basis.