Impeccable and
pinstriped
at the cotton candy machine
with an aristocratic
turn of the wrist
watch check
late train
flecking a speck of dust
off his yellow cuffs
He calculates
percentage points
interest up at the World Bank
It’s all about
the cult of self
French pastries
and ruffles on the shirt
Papa with the pink tie
vanity time on the
chain watch
gleaming gold
blinds fools.
He card sharks his way
round the corner
with a tip of his top hat
he is living that
dandy man’s dream.
Lana, you paint a terrific picture of the man here with such wonderful small details building up the image. Great turn of phrases such as
‘He card sharks his way
round the corner’
I have a feeling that he’s about to meet his match around that corner…and all the finery will come array.
Thanks Annika. Oh, I would love for him to meet his match, he is all about himself!
My goodness, he became visible! Is this based on a real person I wonder ….. what a wolf!!
Oh Pauline, he is quite the character. He isn’t a real person, I actually came up with this one after teaching a 5th grade social studies class where we examined the verses of Yankee Doodle. I actually had no idea that macaroni meant anything other than pasta, ha ha. I never questioned why the man stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni, lol. So the first image I had was Yankee Doodle, then when I searched dandy man, I discovered that there are actually men in a Congo subculture who are very poor, eat little, live meekly, and use what money they have to buy these amazing, expensive clothes. It’s incredible, so I combined modern and historical elements for this guy. 😀
So I ended up getting a bit of a history lesson myself as a result of this poem Lana. I know the song from my earliest school years and, like you, never questioned the whole macaroni thing. Isn’t it amazing what kids accept! I also didn’t know about the Congolese men – also amazing! Now I see your dandy more clearly 🙂 Thanks for educating me!
Very welcome, Pauline. It is interesting that we never questioned macaroni as kids, as if it is the most natural thing to tuck in one’s hat, lol. The good thing about my job is that I get to go back to school everyday myself, ha ha!
I know! I always thought I learned far more on so many levels than I ever taught my students…….
And a dying breed that is! Well captured!
Thanks so much, Marissa! Have a lovely weekend 😀
sweet poem. 🙂
Thanks Jim! Happy holiday weekend 😀
Your descriptors tell me all I need to know, and it comes down to this: “It’s all about / the cult of self.” These guys were around in the days of Yankee Doodle and macaroni, and they’re still around, living large off Papa’s hand-me-down money, albeit wearing today’s fads. Well captured, Lana. 🙂
Thanks Joan, these guys are really something, ha ha!
Very descriptive, Lana, and thank you for your explanation!
Thanks so much, Debbie. It is quite interesting that we never questioned the macaroni thing as kids, like it is a perfectly natural hat accessory, lol. I learn something new every week.
nice poem =)
Thanks so much ! 😀
Lovely poem, Lana, and wonderfully descriptive! Really an enjoyable read. 🙂
Thank you, Iris! 😀
Awesome poem! I´ve seen some documentaries about these dandy men from the Congo, it´s amazing to what lengths they go to achieve that look, especially under these circumstances. No one meeting them on a city street would imagine that they actually live in nothing mire substantial than a tin-roof hut!
It was truly fascinating learning about them, Sarah. I had no idea!
Wonderful portrait and so visual, Lana. I think there will always be Dandy Men, and their lives, I suspect, often end lonely. But the illusion is grand. 🙂
Thanks Diana, that’s a wonderful summation, at the end of that sumptuously dressed life, there is nothing. Very tragic.
Thank you for explaining of Congo sub culture, it is very true! I have heard of this Congo story before. It was a great poem!
Thank you, Juli :D. I recently read about it and found it interesting, I had no idea it existed.
even in the west, they come here and they do same. you see them in the hot summer weather in a big suite and tie, and you just wonder, are these people not not or what? Congolese, they love buying suits and ties hahaha