Same as usual – for dVerse

· by · in dVerse, free verse, poetry. ·


The pitter-patter of his fingertips
echo from the kitchen table,
mingling with the fried odour
of last week’s food.
and the week before.

She rushes eagerly –
sweeping breadcrumbs,
round-and-round
head bent down,
glancing silently
on whiteness glowing
from his knuckles,
crimson face & heavy breathing.

“What’s dinner?” He asks,

he barks, questions are like punches.

Sometimes.

Still she sees the greenery of spring,
of tender hands and dreams
they never knew, that would be grinded
into mutual failures,
backyard barbecues of Spam and beer.

“Same’s usual” she sighs

Knowing what it means

Spam - my own picture

Spam – my own picture

Today at dVerse MTB Claudia want us to convey feelings through other means than saying them outright, metaphors storytelling sound and smell. This is what my dark mind came up with from a sunny Sweden, and this is pure fiction from my side.
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54 responses to “Same as usual – for dVerse”

  6. Well done, Bjorn! So much that you said indirectly, through descriptions and sounds..wow!! I really love this prompt idea, too… looking forward to it!

  7. A very dark and powerful poem, Björn! You depict so much through actions, sounds and even smell that we feel for her.
    Enjoy your sunny day!

  9. What a sad life they both got themselves into. Spam and beer. Nothing to look forward to except the “same’s usual.”

  13. This one stands out: he barks, questions are like punches

    I like that she sees the greenery of spring but oh what a hard life she has to bear ~

  14. The picture you paint through the momentary peek at the slice of mundane life for that couple; all too true, too common; a mismatch, a tragedy, American or otherwise; excellent use of the prompt, brother. You described by stepfather, thick as a brick, mean as a mongoose; good job.

  15. I’ve known people like this, been witness to that sinister tension, that grinding relentless awfulness. You capture it so well – and i am very pleased it is from your imaginings.

  16. Same ‘ol, same ‘ol and still there’s that tie, that connection – some pickup truck, some county fair, some high school prom that drew them together while time, children, and routine keep them in limbo until the next time.

  17. Actions and fragments of dialogue can convey so much – nice dark story of routine and middle-age. And of course we didn’t assume it was autobiographical!

  18. Oh my, yes, this is the prompt rendered perfectly, so much complicated emotion behind this scene. A sad, poignant scene it is.

  19. Had a look in here earlier, to get a headstart on the prompt 🙂 Needed it with this difficult one.
    Like your poetic past tens of ‘to grind.’ Nice to come across new versions of words. Doesn’t happen often enough after a while.

  20. That silent desperation just screams to be heard. Spam works as such a perfect symbol in this one, Bjorn. And for me that line “Questions like punches” says it all.

  25. The conversation can be appearing normal from a distance but a lot is being made out with emotions thrown around. You’ve conveyed it very well Bjorn!

    Hank

  26. Bjorn, you have sort of become my go to guy concerning dVerse. I have a bug up my ass abvout someone and I would like to talk to you about it. Could you email me at annotating@aol.com I’ll be up all night working–I’m on a hot streak today. Thanks KB

  31. oh wow, Bjorn, this was masterful. The disappointment and a few other emotions that I can’t even assign a word to, were very palpable. I could empathize with this couple. Sad imitation of life.

  32. The images I see in your poem make me shudder. I am afraid, so afraid for her. But maybe, in spring, she will see some light and not be resigned to “same’s usual.”

  37. Sad because of the monotony but uplifting in that she still sees “the greenery of spring” even though their dreams ended in “mutual failure”. And she only sighs when she says “Same’s usual” and his barking is only sometimes (but for me, the smell of weeks’ old food is a deal-breaker).

  38. I smell the room, see the crumbs, feel his glowering menace and her submission as she comments on the entire world (not just the moment). Wow. If the beginning of a short story, I would expect an escape attempt.

  40. A beauty it is to live in a day..when spam is spam..and a beer for connection ..is simply love…
    But a life of spam..today…
    can certainly meander down a road..
    of rabbit hole..never ending….

  43. Reminds me of a Spanish commercial I used to hear all the time about arroz con juevos fritos (rice and fried eggs). Ah, the diet of poverty!

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