17.
The first word
is usually a throw away.
Out of the gate
too fast.
Disqualified for a foot fault.
Too easy.
Too shallow.
Unless it digs in and refuses to move
to the back of the line
or disappear on command.
Resists the backspace key.
Shows some gumption and settles in for a fight
for survival and keeps coming back.
18.
a poem destroyed
does it have an afterlife
of regret
or live in purgatory
wringing its hands
or plot for revenge
and a comeback
with a big reveal
19.
supported by a sea of salt
feeling more buoyant and ebullient
than ever
before
or ever
again
20.
a mad rush is what it is
a reel on fast forward
with no time
to catch
a breath
this life
it is what it is
a mad rush
21.
making a poem in a language
apart from one’s first
would be a luxury
a second life
to cherish
cuando hay esperanza
22.
a day in Kansas
holding our collective breath
as we watched what
the chasers saw
as they angled their
cameras just
so
23.
in the city
a puzzle gets solved
but no one
gets relief
as the story is one
that no one wants to hear
24.
it is an experiment
with no period
no comma
no signposts
no time to take a breath
because it needs to be
taken in
all at once
in one big gulp
of words
25.
my Wednesday
and I look back
and see the lack of punctuation
in my poems
what is that about?
26.
No doubt
a poem a day
will keep something away
But I don’t know what
except for good poetry
But there is something to be said
for the brute force of it
Getting right down to it
My ever-present internal judge locked safely away
for a month
I wonder what she would think of a year sentence.
Maybe let out for good behavior
when needed.
27.
This is not a poem I don’t think.
or maybe it is.
It’s a stomach churning
lurching feeling.
Jonesing for Los Angeles
Don’t now why but perhaps
it is like the yearning for
a boy who is only bad for you
but in some ways is good for you
but you only get confused when you
think about it. So you don’t think about it.
And just live through it.
Live with it.
And sometimes crush it
and stuff it
somewhere safe
