The Headlights
Frozen still, caught in the light:
Bright and sharp and stunning.
Like a rabbit in the night,
Without the will for running.
Oblivious to the danger,
Transfixed there by the beams,
The world is a little stranger:
Nothing is as it seems.
Distantly, vaguely, he worries
But then she averts her sight;
And, so released, he scurries
Off into the safety of the night.
Bright and sharp and stunning.
Like a rabbit in the night,
Without the will for running.
Oblivious to the danger,
Transfixed there by the beams,
The world is a little stranger:
Nothing is as it seems.
Distantly, vaguely, he worries
But then she averts her sight;
And, so released, he scurries
Off into the safety of the night.
.
---
© 2012 J Cosmo Newbery
---
Print this post
Oh, this was a good one.
ReplyDeleteThank you, LadyFi!
ReplyDeleteReally good, dramatic and deep
ReplyDeleteMe like too! Thumb up! x
ReplyDeleteFjay: Thank you. I felt I was getting into a bit of a limerick groove.
ReplyDeleteHannah Denski: Thumbs up are gratefully received.
It's a pity if one gets caught and remained transfixed. Fight back if not at fault.Beautiful verse Cosmo!
ReplyDeleteHank
Night is always a good hiding place! I like this.
ReplyDeleteExcellent!
ReplyDeleteI see those martinis did their job! A little shook-up, but they worked! Well done, Lee!
ReplyDeleteBeen there! :-)
ReplyDeleteExcellent rhyme in this. It flows and doesn't feel contrived. (I always feel like my rhyme feels contrived. I'm envious of this).
ReplyDeleteI like "nothing is as it seems"......
ReplyDeleteLike a rabbit in the night, without the will for running. lines or lines or lines
ReplyDeleteI want to know what the metaphor is alluding too ....???
ReplyDeletexxx
wonderful!
ReplyDeleteRDG: The metaphor? Headlights = eyes. Most people just keep their ‘headlights’ on ‘parkers’, maybe going up to normal beam when they smile. The inspiration for this poem was a lovely lady who goes straight to ‘high beam’ when she smiles. Not a high beam, as in a laser that will cut through steel, a high beam like an open furnace, with a radiant warmth that melts butter. Certainly has that affect on me.
ReplyDeleteAnd in answer to the obvious next question: No, appreciation, not infatuation.
Sancho: Shut your helmet!
ReplyDeleteAnnette: Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIt is heartening to see you capable of such a warm response to a smile.You guys are pushovers!
ReplyDeleteCressida de Nova: Yes, sadly true. Truly sad..? No, just sadly true. It's not as if we men are unhappy with our relationships. It's the lack of symmetry that makes them interesting.
ReplyDeleteShe sounds lovely! Don't know why it was so difficult for me to 'see.' Sometimes my brain just does not compute :)
ReplyDeletexxx
we may be more comfortable under cover of night.
ReplyDeletever nice, good writing.
Cos, here's my take, but I don't have time to read the other comments. At first, I was strictly tied to the deer as a deer. Then, when the genders came in, I realized it's about attraction, magnetism, and that dopey look some people get when they see someone they want!!
ReplyDeleteMy two cents. Loved it! Amy
http://sharplittlepencil.com/2012/06/27/skinny-dipping-adults-only/
Thanks Sharp Little Pencil xxx>. That is exactly how I imagined it when I wrote it but a rabbit rather than a deer.
ReplyDeleteBut, then again, I am such a deer...uh...dear.
ReplyDeleteWhat I am getting at the end though is that there is a sense of relief on being released - hence the use of the word safety. Again, very interesting and deep.
ReplyDeleteFjay: Thank you. Relief, yes, but not in the sense of being in danger, relief in the sense of being entranced by the brilliance of the lights and not sure what to do.
ReplyDeleteSorry dear J Cosmo for neglecting you, life has been askew lately.
ReplyDeleteI really love this poem, when I read that 'she averts her sight', I realised you were speaking of eyes, that had you transfixed.
There is nothing quite like a beautiful smile that lights up face.
xoxoxo ♡
Thanks Dianne; no, I didn't feel neglected - I hoped all was well with you though.
ReplyDelete