Tuesday, July 25, 2006

I Have to Go See a Man About a Dog

I Have to Go See a Man About a Dog

Joe, brooks are made of stones
and—don’t giggle--water.

If you listen close, the water chortles.
It says: Go away, Joe. Just go. That nude
asleep on the torpedo-shaped boulder

isn’t posing for you or the photographer.
Sometimes, a picture or a moment needs

no words. Clouds mottle. The day is over-
cast. A kitten cries for its mother. Hit
by a car, she’s not coming back. Alas.

Didn’t you once say the world was cruel?
The hair of the dog will keep falling out

to spite the vacuum and her aching
back. She’ll surrender your best friend
to the pound where he’ll die alone. Give

until it aches. (Charity begins at home,
eh? The mice played and played

on your Egyptian sheets and king-sized
mattress, didn’t we? Wheee! ) Don’t take.
Any wooden nickels clicking in your pocket

should be buried for the squirrels to eat
like nookie on a winter body. Jaunary

is always so frigid, so unforgiving.
She forgot about the iron. One’s shoelaces
are sometimes all that contains the feet, keeps

the soles from running away. You have felt
the need to flee on the beach. The waves

are always ready to receive a prodigal body:
Come, my child. Don’t be afraid. Breathing
is for old men and babies. What’s eating you

is eating me, my sweet. Life and love are ravenous.
I /you (are) slay(ing) me. Still, I refuse to feel

shame. Look, the stars are zozzled tonight.
That’s no siren; that’s your wife. Your shirt’s on fire
and your house is being consumed by flames.

6 comments:

Pris said...

This is really great!! What a creative use of the words! love it!

666poetry-finchnot said...

yehaw!

this is great laurel


i just knew it was you
i got a bout half way
thru / & i scrolled to the
bottom

i love it when i'm right ;D

hope you are well & wonder ful

~jx

666poetry-finchnot said...

did i mention
i absolute lee
love this

~jx

B Boutwell said...

This is the most impressive of the poems I've read for the challenge.

I dig that you broke the phrases up. I wrote three lines and stopped because I wasn't feeling it. But that was what I was going to do. Break the phrases up.

The ending is perfect!

Anonymous said...

LKD, I absolutely adore this poem... so much verve and energy!! Great work!

LKD said...

Thanks, everyone, for your kind words.

Brian, I just read your poem that you posted above and it blew me away. Guess I'll say so up there.

Nate, thanks for the email. I already flew you a response.

Finch! I've finally added you to my list o' blogs, something I should've done a long time ago. I love the flower photos.

And Pris, I should stop by your blog more often.

Again, thanks, everyone!