Cogan's Hit

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FranktheFrank
Posts: 1983
Joined: 02 Mar 2016, 18:07
Location: Between the mountains and the sea

Cogan's Hit

#1 Post by FranktheFrank » 09 Aug 2022, 20:06

Ekphrastic Found in the Neo-noir crime film: 'Killing them Softly' (2012)
Movie score: 'Love Letters' by Ketty Lester (1962)


The engine purrs,
Kenny changes gear
the exhaust lets out a whoop
of throaty triumph.

Cogan speaks softly,
Kenny responds
to his prompting.
‘Nice an’ smooth.’
Window slides down.
Rain batters the car,
wipers brush back an’ fore
with a humdrum clunk.

‘Right ahead Kenny,
a little bit ahead;
pull right up next to him.’
Break-squeal plays in tandem
to the groan of the wipers.

Markie hugs his broken ribs,
turns to stare, the weight
of the beating in his eyes.
Misery fills his turned-down mouth.
Eyes swing to their fullest extent.
A bridge of blood upon his broken nose.

A pistol chamber moves back to unleash
spite, a puff of smoke ejects
with the cartridge, rain droplets shake
free from the bullet as it speeds
out of its cloud hurtling
towards Markie.

Markie turns to look to his right.
The bullet strikes his side window,
a maze of crazed stress-fractures imprints
the glass. A black hole appears above
and left of centre. The glass shatters
as the bullet enters the cab,
an empty cartridge pirouettes
vapour ghosting as it spins
for a slowed down eternity
and out through the window.

The mechanism returns to shoot
again, the chamber recoils.
Markie appears to throw up a warding-off
hand. A flash shines out of a grey cloud,
the missile rotates before the hit.
Blood erupts from Markie's head.

Blood and water droplets fill the cab,
dance to the score in slow motion.
The wonder of the song insulates
the horror of the scene.
Markie, dying alone in a storm.
Cogan shoots again . . .

the bullet strikes
the door panel. His car drifts
forward into the junction. Markie slumps
forward . . .

Lights approach side-on
from a vehicle that lights-up
Markie. He appears to sit up,
hands splay out as if to stop
the bullets.

The collision rotates
Markie’s car side on to complete
a half turn, it's skid throws up
surface water in an arc.
The car settles down to a stop.
The wipers grumble to an' fro,
clunk . . . clunk,
the noise fills the cab.

Markie's cadaver swings in a dance
with the skid. A pickup looms
out of the black night, crashes
into the rear of Markie's car, the bonnet lifts.
A clutter of loose components lift up
and out of the engine housing
freed from gravity, make a reel
to the score as Letty sings,
'I'm not alone in the night.'

Rebound momentum smacks
Markie into the windscreen
and smashes it
with his head.

The song winds down slowly,
Letty's voice out of sync.
The clip shifts to a bar.
Cogan's raucous, voice sounds
over Obama's inaugural speech,
'Pay me for the hit.'

User avatar
Billy
Posts: 1384
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 10:56

Re: Cogan's Hit

#2 Post by Billy » 09 Aug 2022, 23:26

Wow, very cinematic, better than a screen play, I was there without the movie with even greater impact. Great writing.

FranktheFrank
Posts: 1983
Joined: 02 Mar 2016, 18:07
Location: Between the mountains and the sea

Re: Cogan's Hit

#3 Post by FranktheFrank » 10 Aug 2022, 01:03

Thanks Billy.
Bob's suggestion to shorten it.

BobBradshaw
Posts: 2683
Joined: 03 Jun 2016, 21:03

Re: Cogan's Hit

#4 Post by BobBradshaw » 14 Aug 2022, 04:51

I like this poem but you know me. I always look to encourage others to trim more, more, more. You have many striking images here, but there are so many...I can't keep them all in my head. Maybe it's because I don't know the film. I must say that I LOVE the opening:

The engine purrs,
Kenny changes gear
the exhaust lets out a whoop
of throaty triumph.

I would take out these lines...
Two minutes
and nineteen seconds left.

Also, take out the comma after Markie in this line:
Markie, hugs his broken ribs,

FranktheFrank
Posts: 1983
Joined: 02 Mar 2016, 18:07
Location: Between the mountains and the sea

Re: Cogan's Hit

#5 Post by FranktheFrank » 14 Aug 2022, 23:33

OK Bob, thanks,

Have removed.

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