I’ve had you, face down
A race to the finish just to pop like a champagne cork, and spray
Oh, Friday! The mere mention of your name sends a bolt of excitement through my veins. He says, as though Fridays mean anything to him at all. It’s no different from Garfield hating Mondays. It’s arbitrary. However, I can still barely contain my joy as I bring you today’s Ex/rotic Friday feature—a poem that’s as intense as it is mesmerising. Get ready to dip face first into the hauntingly beautiful and chaotically captivating world of Lucie Brock-Broido with her spellbinding poem, “And So Long, I’ve Had You Fame.” Let’s get this poetic party started!
Introducing Lucie Brock-Broido
Lucie Brock-Broido (1956–2018) was a powerhouse in the realm of contemporary American poetry, celebrated for her intricate craftsmanship and profound emotional depth. Her work masterfully blends personal narrative with broader societal themes, creating a rich thread of emotions that resonate deeply. Brock-Broido’s poetry often explores the intersections of identity, memory, and the passage of time, all wrapped in a cloak of gothic elegance and lyrical sophistication.
With accolades like the prestigious National Book Award for Poetry for her collection “Stay, Illusion” (2013), Brock-Broido solidified her place as a beloved figure in modern poetry circles. Her ability to evoke vivid imagery and convey complex emotions with precision makes her a standout voice, inviting us all to embrace both the light and shadows within ourselves.
And So Long, I’ve Had You Fame by Lucie Brock-Broido How odd that she would die into an August night, I would have thought she would have gone out in a pale clear night of autumn, covered to the shoulder in an ivory sheet, hair fanned out across the pillow perfectly. Fame will go by, and, so long, I’ve had you, Fame. From under the door, the lights leak into the hall & Sinatra going over & over in the bedroom on repeat. I was six & you were dying out. I was sitting in a sky blue metal chair in our kitchen in the east digesting the fact, still, of my mother’s second honeymoon & the man living all over our house, that she loved him, had him hard. The sun was on our kitchen table, lighting the back of my hand & the headline in the Post Gazette said you were done. That you were dying even in the hour when our neighborhood went indigo last night, in the hour when our palms were stained by Sno-Cones, in the hour when Russell’s father would take home the bases from the baseball diamond, then my sister & I would move like spiders into the nests of our dotted swiss nightgowns, in the hours of a windless August night in Pittsburgh & somewhere Sinatra redundant no one lifts the needle up, he’s singing like an angel all night long along the famous dusk of the Pacific shoreline as your breathing slowed into the sweetest toxic nothingness, so long, I’ve had you, face down, Cursum Perficio.
Lucie Brock-Broido’s “And So Long, I’ve Had You Fame” is a rollercoaster of emotions, seamlessly blending nostalgia with a critique of celebrity culture. The poem opens with a surreal twist on death, choosing an August night over the expected autumnal serenity, immediately setting a tone of unexpected chaos. This choice underscores the transient and often unpredictable nature of fame, juxtaposing personal memories with the broader implications of societal recognition.
Brock-Broido masterfully uses vivid, everyday imagery—like buying mustard and relish or sitting in a sky blue metal chair—to really ground the poem in reality, making the exploration of fame’s fleeting allure all the more relatable, as though the elusive dash of fame creates a sort of semi-magical realism. The repetition of “smash” and the reference to Macbeth infuse the poem with a sense of internal conflict and rebellion, reflecting the tumultuous relationship between personal authenticity and public expectation.
The cultural references, from Sinatra to local newspaper headlines, add layers of depth, highlighting the omnipresence of fame and its inevitable decline. The concluding lines, with the Latin phrase “Cursum Perficio” (I finish the course), encapsulate a poignant acceptance of fame’s impermanence and a reclaiming of self beyond superficial accolades. It’s a beautiful dance between holding on and letting go, wrapped in Brock-Broido’s signature lyrical prowess.
Read More
Lucie Brock-Broido left an indelible mark on the poetry world with her meticulously crafted collections. Here’s a look at her most notable works:
A Hunger (1988)
The Master Letters (1995)
Trouble in Mind (2004)
Soul Keeping Company (2010)
Stay, Illusion (2013)
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