One Dot Below the I
#5 of Poetry
Five short poems
THE WAY YOU COME IN CRASHING THROUGH THE CEILING
IN YOUR BURNING NIGHTGOWN SCREAMING WITH YOUR MOUTH ALL SMEARED
AND BLOOD POURING FROM YOUR EARS AND INTO OUR QUIET LIVING SPACE YOU
BRIEFLY REMIND US OF THE IMPENDING DISASTER THEY TALK ABOUT ON TV
AND THIS IS WHERE " HERE" AND " YOU SEE" AND " THROUGH" AND " THE TEXT"
AND " AND" AND " OUT" OR IS IT " IN" THAT DISAPPEARS HERE?
" SOMETHING" IS MISSING, I'M SURE OF IT.
THE BACKWARDS SPIRAL THROUGH EVERY DEGREE YEAR AND MARK
IS NOT ENOUGH ALL WORDS WHITE AND LEAVING SMOKING SKIDMARKS
ARE NOT ENOUGH AND "I SHIFT FROM THIRD INTO
FOURTH THEN FIFTH GEAR AND TAKE OFF" ISN'T EVEN ENOUGH
AND I PULL OVER AND FLASH THE HEADLIGHTS AND OVERTAKE THEM
"NOTHING IS ENOUGH"
SYLVIA SYLVIA SYLVIA SYLVIA
SHE SQUATS IN THE SHOWER HOWLING
SHE CROSSES HER ARMS AND BENDS OVER SLOWLY
SHE CLIMBS IN BETWEEN HER LEGS O DIFFICULT
SHE SLIDES IN WET AND SLIPPERY AND
DISAPPEARS WILLLLLYA LOOKAT THAT
I REPEAT: THE READER WITH X-RAY VISION JUMPS OUT LIKE A MEASURING
TAPE TWISTING HIMSELF BLINKING LOOP-DE LOOP THROUGH METAPHORS
BUT IT ALWAYS RESULTS IN A JOURNEY/A PILGRIMAGE/A SAFARI
HE TRICKED US INTO THROUGH LAYERS UPON LAYERS OF TANGLE