“Playing it Again, Sam, Playing it One More Time”
Modified, but from “Casablanca” with the incomparable Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman
Playing it Again, Sam, Playing it One More Time
Yes, we’ll always have Paris–
the mattress that,
with corners tucked up walls, just
fit the room;
the warped door that we could
only open lying down–perfect, in
other words, but where
not-love was in the air, and I wished
each morning, after we wedged in
the croissants, that I had ordered
cafe au lait, trying
to come up with
something, anything, to change, to
focus in on
other than the actual worm in our
rosebud: that frankly,
my dear, you didn’t
give a damn, while
I loved you, you were my only reason
to stay alive, if that’s what I was.
Yes, the silhouette of
your profile,
noble as Brad’s (pitted against the window-
framed gargoyles) would bend towards
mine occasionally
to kiss me, kiss me
as if it were the last time (which
you were already sure it was).
I guess you figured that, while teaching me
to quit you, what I needed
was kissing badly–French tea
never terribly good–though a little less
looking at you, kid–you not
looking
at me–might also
have helped–
*****************************
I am posting the above (belatedly) for the writing blog With Real Toads, for Fireblossom Friday’s prompt to write a love poem worthy of a romantic movie (“Lights, Camera, Love”). I didn’t quite have it in me to come up with that kind of love poem this weekend, but I could think of lots of bits of romantic movies I love (sprinkled above.)
Explore posts in the same categories: Perfectionism, poetryTags: "Playing it again Sam", break-up love poem, great movie lines poem, manicddaily, Mattress tucked-up walls, Romantic movie unromantic poem, We'll always have Paris, with real toads blogspot
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ManicDDaily 
August 26, 2012 at 3:18 pm
There’s a retrospective, even resigned feel to this that ought to make it hurt less, but sometimes it doesn’t work that way. The film cameo lines are turned very well to account, and there’s a sense of that claustrophobia that relationship awry invokes in those beginning images of a room(affair) that’s only as big as the bed. Definitely has been taken out and played more than once in my old movie collection.
August 26, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Thanks so much, Joy. k.
August 26, 2012 at 3:41 pm
Hey girl, if it’s still 2012, you ain’t late. There is such a lack of wiggle room in this, both physically and emotionally. In such a magnificent city as Paris, these two are wedged in to a tiny space by shoe horn. It’s a little like watching great cinema on an old portable black and white tv…it can still command one’s heart, but it isn’t what it could be or was meant to be.
Thanks so much for being part of my BF challenge with this really intriguing piece.
August 26, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Thanks, Shay. k .
August 27, 2012 at 3:44 am
You must have known my folks – they always thought a cup of tea would help! I got more from this than from the original sound track!
August 27, 2012 at 5:02 am
ack, trapped….and in paris no less….the city of love without love…and bad kissing….glad they escaped, at least i hope they did…
August 27, 2012 at 6:21 am
Ha! The “kissing badly” is a line from Rhett Butler! I agree that the adverb’s in the wrong place but I wanted to be true to the quote. Very funny. k.
August 27, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Sorry but I laughed at some lines K…very witty with playing with the famous line ….I specially enjoyed the sarcasm with the last stanza ~
Enjoyed the share ~
August 27, 2012 at 1:56 pm
Don’t be sorry! It is meant to be funny. Especially the “Twilight” quote! K.