Jess Blackledge
Gene Kelly
The rain outside is hammering
on the tin roof
We wade, knee deep
through the backstreets of Siem Reap
a street lamp flickers
illuminating
the stale smell from the stagnant river
the neighbors sweeping the water
from their sodden floorboards.
I wish I was Gene Kelly
Synergy of the elements
no excess
like the perfectly in-sync routine
with Garland in Golden Days
Dark clouds roll in
headlights of our moto barely visible
we make our way through the mud tracks
of the Cambodian dirt road
still we go with a happy refrain
The man across the street helps when
the bamboo shutters on my window blow off
like Kelly
boosting the moral of WW2 soldiers
with his mop-mannikin in Thousand Cheer
And how much effort does it take
to create those effortless
soft shoe-ins
heart beating arrhythmically along with
his feet
my saturated clothes and
That Black Umbrella wouldn’t help me now
Make no apologies
for the seamless cincinnati’s and shuffle-hops
that mock the Hollywood Dream.
And was it water, or the rumored gallons of milk?
Either way, strive to Make ‘Em Laugh
because what else to do?
So, dim the lights of Broadway
in his honor
and patiently wait for electricity
to return to town
solder some steel to your soles
as the fade-out of the music ends with
the calm of devastation
after the storm.
on the tin roof
We wade, knee deep
through the backstreets of Siem Reap
a street lamp flickers
illuminating
the stale smell from the stagnant river
the neighbors sweeping the water
from their sodden floorboards.
I wish I was Gene Kelly
Synergy of the elements
no excess
like the perfectly in-sync routine
with Garland in Golden Days
Dark clouds roll in
headlights of our moto barely visible
we make our way through the mud tracks
of the Cambodian dirt road
still we go with a happy refrain
The man across the street helps when
the bamboo shutters on my window blow off
like Kelly
boosting the moral of WW2 soldiers
with his mop-mannikin in Thousand Cheer
And how much effort does it take
to create those effortless
soft shoe-ins
heart beating arrhythmically along with
his feet
my saturated clothes and
That Black Umbrella wouldn’t help me now
Make no apologies
for the seamless cincinnati’s and shuffle-hops
that mock the Hollywood Dream.
And was it water, or the rumored gallons of milk?
Either way, strive to Make ‘Em Laugh
because what else to do?
So, dim the lights of Broadway
in his honor
and patiently wait for electricity
to return to town
solder some steel to your soles
as the fade-out of the music ends with
the calm of devastation
after the storm.
Commentary
Jess on "Gene Kelly":
I wrote this poem in 2019, whilst I was living in Cambodia. The rainy season in SE Asia can be a wonderful, refreshing time after months of exhausting, relentless heat. The farmers rejoice when the rains finally come and everyone’s mood lifts a little. On the other hand, rainy season can be devastating. It can destroy homes, streets and lives but somehow, everyone just gets on with it.
I have always loved rain, but being from the UK, our rain is usually cold, drizzly, and accompanied with some biting wind and bitter complaining. In South East Asia the rains are warm, reviving, and tend to invigorate everyone.
Being a huge fan of old Hollywood (think Streisand, Garland, Monroe) the rain always reminds me of Singin’ in the Rain, one of my all-time favorite musicals. I encourage you to hum it if you happen to have to do a damp and misty commute, tends to cheer up even the most miserable of souls.
In this poem I wanted to combine 3 of my greatest loves: rainy days, old Hollywood, and the Kingdom of Cambodia. The relentless optimism of Gene Kelly, seemingly in all his roles alongside the resilience of a country not averse to devastation.
The biggest and most beautiful takeaway I have from living in Cambodia is that life just goes on, regardless of hurdles. In 2020, this seems even more poignant than ever.
I wrote this poem in 2019, whilst I was living in Cambodia. The rainy season in SE Asia can be a wonderful, refreshing time after months of exhausting, relentless heat. The farmers rejoice when the rains finally come and everyone’s mood lifts a little. On the other hand, rainy season can be devastating. It can destroy homes, streets and lives but somehow, everyone just gets on with it.
I have always loved rain, but being from the UK, our rain is usually cold, drizzly, and accompanied with some biting wind and bitter complaining. In South East Asia the rains are warm, reviving, and tend to invigorate everyone.
Being a huge fan of old Hollywood (think Streisand, Garland, Monroe) the rain always reminds me of Singin’ in the Rain, one of my all-time favorite musicals. I encourage you to hum it if you happen to have to do a damp and misty commute, tends to cheer up even the most miserable of souls.
In this poem I wanted to combine 3 of my greatest loves: rainy days, old Hollywood, and the Kingdom of Cambodia. The relentless optimism of Gene Kelly, seemingly in all his roles alongside the resilience of a country not averse to devastation.
The biggest and most beautiful takeaway I have from living in Cambodia is that life just goes on, regardless of hurdles. In 2020, this seems even more poignant than ever.
Biography
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Jess Blackledge is originally from Birmingham, UK but has spent the past 10 years in North and SouthEast Asia, most recently in Cambodia where she worked for the international creative writing organization Writing Through. Her work has been published in Snakeskin Poetry Magazine, the Trouvaille Review, and Facemasks and Handgels: a Year of Living Covidly. She enjoys drinking tea whilst unashamedly watching old Hollywood musicals.
IG: @jessieblackledge FB: Jess Blackledge |
