Our resident poet Nigel Parkin delivers another paralyzing poem.
I – Driving Into the Shower
Her hands tighten on the wheel as the world
Closes in, cars looming, headlights reaching
Into the descending night to expose
Her shame. Her face is held in close up for
Our judgement as we follow the trial
In her thoughts, the parade of witnesses
Condemning her in the fevered voices
Of her own mind. She must get out of this.
Now the rain begins to fall, a shower
Through which the harsh lights of cars attack her.
As she peers through her screen she does not know
She’s watching the film of her destiny.
She sees the sign BATES MOTEL – VACANCY
But she cannot read it. She thinks she’s safe.
II – Stepping Into the Shower
She shuts the door, slips off her gown, steps in,
Draws the curtain, her nakedness teasing
Us behind the plastic film. She unwraps
The soap and holds it out, an offering,
Giving herself to the water, turning,
Turning, hands clasped, eyes closed, as if in prayer.
For a moment she is Falconetti
Prepared for Passion, for epiphany.
In the frame now we see her destiny –
The approaching shadow, the illusion
Of car headlights shining through the curtain
In the center of the screen – time and fate
Colliding in this film of rain and steam.
Our mouths open in horror. The strings scream.
Psycho (1960)
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Psycho (1960) #1
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Psycho (1960) #2
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Psycho (1960) #3
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Psycho (1960) #4
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Psycho (1960) #5
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Psycho (1960) #6
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Psycho (1960) #7
