SOLE EXISTENCE
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by
Judy Stoddart
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The Montreal Review, November 2010
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the psychotic old man
sat in a patch of urine
trembled
head bent
his chin inches away from the sticky glossy table top
talked to no one particular about his land, the war, his hand
how he fought with a vengeance, a rush of angered blood in his head
oh, yes - yes siree
rather to kill the enemy then them kill him instead
he slammed his foaming mug with his only four fingers
glassy eyes wandered and slurred words linger
breath of stale draft he told of the fight to survive
the will to come back
got a pension.set his life back on track
his stubble face and nervous twitch
told of a man that chose not to die
i sat across from the little man
listened with deaf ears and couldn't understand
i too chose the same, as to stay alive
i never fought in a war but i know the will to survive
my eyes stared across to the man with the purple nose
took my hat off to someone that believed in himself
my bald head with specs of grey baby strands caught him by surprise
i feed him minor truths
no lies
he may have fought the strangers and won
but i have the intravenous drip of enemies hit my life stream and flush my soul
i finished my beer and sneered in his face
'am I to admire your blindness to life?'
many years ago you finished your fight
stop whinning - you won
old fool, your war is over. mine has just begun
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Illustration: Portrait of Rosalie Hook (Oil on canvas,
20 x 16 inches) by
Alexander Brook
Alexander Brook, a leader among New York City's mainstream figurative painters during the 1930s, painted numerous scenes based on his observations in Savannah. Trained in the American realist tradition of painting, Brook's landscapes, portraits, and genre scenes are largely devoid of overt or hidden social meaning and are characterized by subdued colors and strong, weighty shapes.
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