Unquiet harbor –
river rats
bay at the moon
as if that last piece
of scrofulous cheese
out of reach in the trash.
Walking together
on the river –
your shadow splinters
in the streetlight,
which you slip
between my ribs
like a shiv of love.
For dVerse Quadrille
qbit 
Nice…in the midst of noisy harbor…rats scurrying for food, a walk with lover. A new word learned ‘scrofulous’ and I love the expression ‘like a shiv of love’
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Thank you!
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Love it – tough love down by the waterfront.
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But what a wonderful shiv
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An honest picture of a harbour, although I wouldn’t like to bump into river rats baying at the moon!
I love the phrases ‘scrofulous cheese’ and the wonderful metaphor of the shadow splintering and slipping between ribs ‘like a shiv of love’.
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WELL! I wish you were sitting beside me here – as you would have heard the audible “ohhhhh” that I sighed out loud at the finish of your poem. I actually read the first stanza twice before going on to the second. That connection between the moon and cheese….and it being out of reach for the river rats….so cleverly writ. And the first stanza gives us the unquiet quiet of the urban harbor…not always such a nice place. And then that second stanza….urban pastoral — disturbed by rats and unsavory characters with shivs…wow. Danger lurks in this particular harbor. Well done!
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LOLOL! Thank you so much. It was great fun. I threw any number of more pastoral versions on the floor
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Until I came up with the rats.
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The contrasts!!! Great!
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Ahahaha! Though you would like scrofulous cheese and the baying rats.
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Every word in your newest poem is filled with visuals and expressionism of magnificent. 🙂
Miss reading your work, qbit.
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I love the mixture of gritty and sweet in this until that stab at the ribs… love hurts.
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Bay(ing) rats… harbor rats. So much to consider in so short a turn. Nicely dappled.
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Hahaha! Thanks. Mare power to your wonderful pun.
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What?!? I thought that was yours. 🙂
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