I. love. cafes.
The smell of coffee sticking to everything, the dim lighting with spots of brightness from flickering candles, the shadows cast upon the wall.
The low voices murmering to each other in Hungarian, a language that tastes like dark chocolate melting on the tongue.
There is a reason poets spend so much time in cafes. Not calling myself a poet, necessarily, but I do find inspiration in them.
Chilis Csokolades
Chocolate sticks to the throat, sweet,
hot, thick. I drink from
the glass.
He drinks as well, a richer
communion.
Tiny bee stings trickle down our throats.
We gasp as
One.
The Table
Empty ash tray, green grains
of the beneath wood.
Amorphous wax a white, flaky crust, like
the cake of soap washing away in my
morning bath.
I pick at it with my nails.
The smell of booze, lingering, antiseptic,
cleans away the open lacerations
of hundreds, bleeding across
its surface. The scratches
of ten thousand nails, etching
Names. Initials.
The voices of the dead trapped within the planks.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
A Meditation on Shoes
I have decided to be brave and post a draft of the poem I wrote today after witnessing the shoe memorial for the first time. For those of you that don't know, the Shoes on the Danube Promenade consists of 60 pairs of iron shoes on the banks on the Danube. It is meant to commemorate the victims of the Arrow Cross (the Hungarian Facist Party) who were lined up on the banks of the river and shot, after first having to remove their shoes, which were valuable at the time.
The Shoe Memorial
At the Danube, we huddle in the wind
to shield the tiny flame.
Wax drips, hardens, yellow sticks to bronze.
One shoe waits alone,
its mate now buried beneath the river's swell.
A child sings shrill, clear notes,
her voice drifting atop the gentle waves.
Bare feet tear water into foam.
A ringing shot.
A moment of stillness
Taut as a tightrope.
A prayer stretched over an echo.
And me? I wear size 8 and a half.
25 dollar knock-offs.
Strings frayed and muddy.
One shoe untied.
A wilting dandelion dangles from a boot.
A flash of yellow amidst surrounding gray.
Light bursting into flicker.
We disperse.
I look back to see the flame, wavering
as the wind sweeps in again.
We shall now drink a cup of coffee
and talk about the rain.
-Abby-
The Shoe Memorial
At the Danube, we huddle in the wind
to shield the tiny flame.
Wax drips, hardens, yellow sticks to bronze.
One shoe waits alone,
its mate now buried beneath the river's swell.
A child sings shrill, clear notes,
her voice drifting atop the gentle waves.
Bare feet tear water into foam.
A ringing shot.
A moment of stillness
Taut as a tightrope.
A prayer stretched over an echo.
And me? I wear size 8 and a half.
25 dollar knock-offs.
Strings frayed and muddy.
One shoe untied.
A wilting dandelion dangles from a boot.
A flash of yellow amidst surrounding gray.
Light bursting into flicker.
We disperse.
I look back to see the flame, wavering
as the wind sweeps in again.
We shall now drink a cup of coffee
and talk about the rain.
-Abby-
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Budapest, In Song (Memoir for a Lost Mp3 Player)
Yes, that is right. I have lost my mp3 player. It leaped out of my pocket during a long walk. No longer will I have its company to get me through long tram rides or bus rides for the next four months. This is a tragedy of the first order...so, in honor of its faithful service (approximately six years of being left in pockets, dragged through the wash, falling out of bags, shoved into backpacks, overworked on 16 hour plane rides....etc), I am compiling two playlists of what I have been listening to most since being here in Hungary, one unconventional and one conventional.
Sounds Heard in Hungary That I Will Forever Associate With This Country
1. The music of street musicians: Spontaneous accordion acts at bus stops, metro underpass violinists, the trumpet trio with the old man in a hat who had a voice that sounded straight off an LP recording, crackling included, guitar strummers in the park, and, my personal favorite, the hippie-esque guys playing djembe and digeridoo on Margaret Island today.
2. The squeal of the tram- As we have been taking the tram everywhere not within immediate walking distance, tram noises have become quite familiar. Tram noises tend to increase substantially when members from my group board the tram.
3. The Hungarian language-. Although I may be able to catch a word every now and then and overall I find it an interesting and beautiful language, it very quickly becomes white noise, making it totally feasible to read or write in a noisy cafe.
4. The Wicked soundtrack- There are quite a few die-hard Wicked fans on this trip. I am not one of them.
6. Bathroom noises- Um....this dorm may or may not have the world's most echoey bathrooms, which definitely helps in community building.
7. Laughter and stories-. This group of people is fantastic and always laughing :)
8. The sizzling of things being fried- From falafels to langos (pronounced lan-gosh, a deep fried dough topped with whatever you choose) to pastries, Hungarians tradtionally have loved their fried food. Here at the dorm, too, stir frys have become a very popular meal, as we do not have a working oven. Grilled cheese too.
And on to the more conventional playlist, the songs that I would be listening to right now if my mp3 player hadn't left me.
1. The entire Sarajevo Blues album by Charming Hostess- Based on a book of poems entitled "Sarajevo Blues" written by a Bosnian poet, this album fuses all kinds of beats to create the perfect preparation album for heading off to Sarajevo within the next month.
2. "Furr"- Blitzen Trapper- I don't know why I like this song so much, but I can't get it out of my head.
3. "One More Cup of Coffee", the White Stripes cover- The cafe life here has really sucked me in and is threatening to drain me of my money and increasing my dependence on caffiene. However, it has afforded me research opportunities for my latest writing project, as well as teaching me the joys of cherry liqueur stirred into coffee.
4. "Train Song"- Feist and Ben Gibbard cover- C'mon. This song just asks to be listened to while riding a train headed to Prague or Montenegro or Transylvania...or even just on a tram headed down to Auchan to buy some groceries.
5. "America"- Simon & Garfunkel- Pretty much just so I can sing "Michigan seems like a dream to me now" and mean it.
6. "The Littlest Birds"- The Be Good Tanyas- "Somedays I feel so small and wild, like the ramblin' footsteps of a wanderin' child..."
7. "Cripple Crow" album by Devendra Banhart- This is the absolute perfect album for this summer weather turning into autumn weather happening here in Budapest right now. Plus, he sings in Spanish sometimes, forcing me to think somewhat in Spanish...at least for the duration of a three minute song about the Luna de Margarita.
8. "On the Waves of the Balaton"- Roby Lakatos- This comes off of an album I commandeered from the public library entitled "World of the Gypsies" and is played by a Hungarian Roma. It seems appropriate and is also a damn good piece of music.
9. "Tangled Up In Blue"- Bob Dylan- Um.....do I need really need a reason?
10. "Our Endless Numbered Days" album- Iron & Wine- This is the most perfect People-are-still-up-talking-but-I-want-to-sleep-and- need-something-to-drown-them-out-but-that-wont-keep-me-awake album. And it is absolutely lovely. To this I add the song "The Sea and the Rhythm" off another album, just because I love it.
And with that, my mp3 player, I bid thee farewell.
Viszontlatasra!
P.S. If you are wondering about my profile picture, visit this blog of two of the other girls on the trip. One of them, Leighanne, is a fabulous photographer and took that photo- she gets allllll the credit! (And she can be commissioned too!) http://papercranessilverrings.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/hu_3-2.jpg
Sounds Heard in Hungary That I Will Forever Associate With This Country
1. The music of street musicians: Spontaneous accordion acts at bus stops, metro underpass violinists, the trumpet trio with the old man in a hat who had a voice that sounded straight off an LP recording, crackling included, guitar strummers in the park, and, my personal favorite, the hippie-esque guys playing djembe and digeridoo on Margaret Island today.
2. The squeal of the tram- As we have been taking the tram everywhere not within immediate walking distance, tram noises have become quite familiar. Tram noises tend to increase substantially when members from my group board the tram.
3. The Hungarian language-. Although I may be able to catch a word every now and then and overall I find it an interesting and beautiful language, it very quickly becomes white noise, making it totally feasible to read or write in a noisy cafe.
4. The Wicked soundtrack- There are quite a few die-hard Wicked fans on this trip. I am not one of them.
6. Bathroom noises- Um....this dorm may or may not have the world's most echoey bathrooms, which definitely helps in community building.
7. Laughter and stories-. This group of people is fantastic and always laughing :)
8. The sizzling of things being fried- From falafels to langos (pronounced lan-gosh, a deep fried dough topped with whatever you choose) to pastries, Hungarians tradtionally have loved their fried food. Here at the dorm, too, stir frys have become a very popular meal, as we do not have a working oven. Grilled cheese too.
And on to the more conventional playlist, the songs that I would be listening to right now if my mp3 player hadn't left me.
1. The entire Sarajevo Blues album by Charming Hostess- Based on a book of poems entitled "Sarajevo Blues" written by a Bosnian poet, this album fuses all kinds of beats to create the perfect preparation album for heading off to Sarajevo within the next month.
2. "Furr"- Blitzen Trapper- I don't know why I like this song so much, but I can't get it out of my head.
3. "One More Cup of Coffee", the White Stripes cover- The cafe life here has really sucked me in and is threatening to drain me of my money and increasing my dependence on caffiene. However, it has afforded me research opportunities for my latest writing project, as well as teaching me the joys of cherry liqueur stirred into coffee.
4. "Train Song"- Feist and Ben Gibbard cover- C'mon. This song just asks to be listened to while riding a train headed to Prague or Montenegro or Transylvania...or even just on a tram headed down to Auchan to buy some groceries.
5. "America"- Simon & Garfunkel- Pretty much just so I can sing "Michigan seems like a dream to me now" and mean it.
6. "The Littlest Birds"- The Be Good Tanyas- "Somedays I feel so small and wild, like the ramblin' footsteps of a wanderin' child..."
7. "Cripple Crow" album by Devendra Banhart- This is the absolute perfect album for this summer weather turning into autumn weather happening here in Budapest right now. Plus, he sings in Spanish sometimes, forcing me to think somewhat in Spanish...at least for the duration of a three minute song about the Luna de Margarita.
8. "On the Waves of the Balaton"- Roby Lakatos- This comes off of an album I commandeered from the public library entitled "World of the Gypsies" and is played by a Hungarian Roma. It seems appropriate and is also a damn good piece of music.
9. "Tangled Up In Blue"- Bob Dylan- Um.....do I need really need a reason?
10. "Our Endless Numbered Days" album- Iron & Wine- This is the most perfect People-are-still-up-talking-but-I-want-to-sleep-and- need-something-to-drown-them-out-but-that-wont-keep-me-awake album. And it is absolutely lovely. To this I add the song "The Sea and the Rhythm" off another album, just because I love it.
And with that, my mp3 player, I bid thee farewell.
Viszontlatasra!
P.S. If you are wondering about my profile picture, visit this blog of two of the other girls on the trip. One of them, Leighanne, is a fabulous photographer and took that photo- she gets allllll the credit! (And she can be commissioned too!) http://papercranessilverrings.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/hu_3-2.jpg
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