Monday, January 28, 2013

"Stayin' Alive"

Charlotte Gainsbourg, AnOther


Stayin' Alive

I'm yearnin' for a time
when notes

bent and stretched
floated within a room,

favorite band
a fingertip away.

"In living presence"
closed our eyes,

inhaled, let the groove
take hold,

olive green shag
tickled buffed toes,

and high-fidelity
vibrated our core.

by Margaret Bednar, January 28, 2013


This is for Imaginary Garden with Real Toad's "Open Link Monday" & "Sunday Mini-Challenge".  The mini-challenge was hosted by Susan and we were to take a last line from an old poem and use it as the first line for a new poem and to let a feeling just come and to write it rapidly.  The "old poem" I used was "Getting to Happy" and I used a portion of its last line.

I googled 1970's favorite nail polish color... and it was "natural".  I guess I am too young to remember that. :)

This is also linked with "The Mag #153".  The photo above is this week's inspiration.

24 comments:

Marian said...

holy heck, Margaret, that photo startled me with that Nick Cave record!! ack! okay, hold please while i breathe, and go back to take in what you've written...

ooh yes, yes. the olive green shag and the vinyl and high fidelity, I DO MISS THAT.

EXCELLENT. :)

TexWisGirl said...

seems like we put a lot more effort/soul/ourselves into listening to music back then...

Susan said...

Groving on shag. Mine was brown, but the couch cushions were green and quadraphonic sound was speakers hung from 4 ceiling corners. Albums. It felt alive for sure, all around alive.

Susie Clevenger said...

Love the title reference...you really took me back with this one...we had a van lined with green shag carpet..lol

Doctor FTSE said...

Velvet Underground and shagpile underfoot! Your poem really brings the picture to life.

Jinksy said...

Olive green was certainly the 'in' colour - my boyfriend gave me a fluffy pullover in exactly that shade for my 19th birthday...those were the days!

Berowne said...

Flashback's hindsight - beautifully done.

Dave King said...

From brilliant to genius in a few short verses. Wonderful!

Mary said...

Ah yes, a bit of time travel here. And we thought high fidelity was the best of sound, didn't we? Little did we know what would follow!

Brian Miller said...

smiles...the inhaling of the music...ah, i have been there...this was a trip back to my teens for me margaret....

izzy said...

Shag rugs! omg- and green to boot!
woo-hoo-

Kerry O'Connor said...

This is a very special picture, and you poem evokes a very special time. I still long for vinyl records.

Helen said...

Hi-fi (now it's wi-fi) ... we all had to have it back then. Believe it or not .. we had a red/green plaid sofa with a bright red shag carpet .. it was the 70's what can I say?

Kay L. Davies said...

Listening, and dancing to the music. I was there, and I was still dancing in the 70s, and a DJ with vinyl was just fine when we couldn't afford a band.
Sigh.
Took me back. Thanks, Margaret.
K

Tess Kincaid said...

That olive green shag...I want some...

Other Mary said...

Pitch perfect...and word perfect too! I too love the detail of the shag carpet, lol.

Fireblossom said...

Oh my goodness, olive green shag! Or burnt orange! Holy 70's.

Jim said...

Thank you, Margaret, for the memories. Would that I could go back too but I am glad my memory comes to me for this one (thank you too for peeking in on my Toad entry).

I'm playing the Bee Gee's recording (You Tube) as I write this. Mrs. Jim and I love the movie, Staying Alive. It is probably my 'most watched.'

..

Jennifer Wagner said...

Truly a snapshot of the age. I remember that shag carpet and my parents stacks of albums...you've got me musing and wanting to call my mom. Thanks for the little grin down memory lane.

Unknown said...

A scene for many a teen's rec room!

Kateri said...

Because of the subculture I was raised in (fundamentalist christian homeschooling), I missed out on things like this. Your poem is beautiful, and almost makes listening to this music sound like a spiritual experience.

Wayne said...

nicely done Margaret....and thanks for sharing your words

Silent Otto said...

While you lot were busy trying to counteract the dark demon that was the vietnam war, i was still star seed.

Ginnie Hart said...

"Way too young." HA! Why did that make me giggle. :)