COZY
I knit some cozies
for the iron bars
on the windows and doors
of my tiny home.
They are sunflowered
And paislied in vivid chromacolors
that give the impression
that I am no longer afraid of the other human beings
living in my neighborhood
even though the insurance companies are.
WHY ARE THE YOUTH SO SULLEN
In all of these photographs
on all of these tiny portals -
So sullen and snide
bathed by smoky morning light
and none seeming to own but half a shirt
and always always someone is jumping through the air
(A cousin? A brother? A boyfriend? – gosh he loves to jump)
Worried shoulders
gaze fixed on the horizon
where something they can not yet process
is afoot -
Adulthood.
TWO RIOTS
A.
You are so good
at putting that ball there in that really tall hoop
it makes me want to punch the windows out of this car
and flip it over with my friends
and burn it until it is ruined.
B.
You are so bad
at running this country
and offering me freedom
it makes me want to do the same.
MICHIGAN
After lunch I purchased most of Detroit.
I was tired of hearing about it on the news
(problems, problems, problems) so I bought it.
It cost me almost three thousand dollars.
I haven’t decided what I’m going to call it now
or what to do with all the people
But I’m going to paint the tallest buildings purple
and the medium buildings blue
and let some of the cooler animals out of the zoo.
Also I’m thinking of building a moat
And I’ll probably rent out the nicer areas for birthday parties,
company picnics, raves…that sort of thing.
FOUR MORE DAYS OF KINDERGARTEN
He can read.
He can write.
He can ride a bicycle, score a goal and swim.
He says his teeth are starting to loosen in the front
And he knows our phone number by heart.
Four more days of kindergarten
and I just put him to sleep
then spent an hour standing on my mattress
trying to teach myself to do a front flip.
I think I broke my bed.
HEADLINES
Please don’t slay me
whatever you do.
I don’t want to be slain.
Don’t massacre me
or obliterate
or decimate me.
If you were considering it,
don’t.
If you must end it
end it gently
and carefully
in a manner befitting
an old horse
set out to pasture.
But do not slay me
in a crowd full of strangers
all helpless to intervene.
This is something I do not need done.
SLOGAN
There are so many words
you could write
on that shirt
with all the money
you have by now.
So many things you could tell people.
Honestly,
after all these years
does it still have to say “Nike?”
What about just “Hello.”
CHOICES
Most of the time
when you scream “I hate you!”
what you mean to scream
is “I love you so much I can’t stand it!”
BILLS
I found a hundred dollar bill on the ground today
right in the middle of the street
folded in half and waiting.
I didn’t earn it
And it isn’t mine
but it probably isn’t yours either
It’s no ones.
So how do I spend no one’s money?
Gamble it?
Invest it?
Give it away?
Do you need it more than me?
If so, let me know
And maybe I’ll send it to you.
I’ve never been much for money.
GOOD/BAD
How a bad idea starts:
“That looks easy…I could do that.”
How a good idea starts:
“That looks fun…I should do that.”
GOOD LUCK
If you do something you enjoy
long enough
eventually someone will come along
and offer you money
to stop enjoying it
so they can take it away
from you
and break it into little pieces
because this is what makes them happy.
PET
He found a caterpillar
named it Cali
put it in a jar
with some sticks
and leaves to eat
hammered holes in the lid
for breathing and sunlight.
He smiled all the way home
cleared a space on his desk
for the jar
to watch it
while he did his homework.
He sat in his chair,
proud.
“How long will it live?”
He aksed.
“Not very long” I answered.
“Why?”
“That’s what happens when you capture things
and put them in jars.”
He thought for a while
then picked up the jar
looked at the caterpillar
walked outside
unscrewed the lid
and set Cali gently on a leaf.
He waved goodbye
and went back inside.
I sat in my chair,
proud.
MISSISSIPPI
If you bother to look
you will see that not much has changed
since your parents were here
and their parents before.
The river still goes that way to this
cold and dark and rocky on soles.
You won’t get to far in before you get scared of the snakes
or stories you’ve heard of people it has taken.
Pay no attention
to the casino they’ve built.
That’s just a flourish.
It will be gone soon
and things can go back to how they were.