Preference
(A response to Woman by Nikki Giovanni)
She wanted him to be her dandelion
amid the fields
but he would prefer
to be a rose.
She wanted to be a robin
and he her tree
but he would rather be
a raven.
She spun herself a web
and, looking for a place to rest,
turned to him
but he stood straight
arachnophobic.
She tried to be a book
but he preferred theatre
She tried to become
his woman
and though he didn’t wish
to be her man
she wrongly thought it wise
to persist.
Leashed
Does this bow tie strike you as odd?
I wear it as a leash around my neck
for hearts I’d break and friendships I’d wreck
if I were free from its gregarious facade
Threat
If you cross me, I fear I might
cook you with salt and pepper.
(Or, at the very least, I’ll write
a harshly worded letter.)
It’s a Tragic Misunderstanding!
His head came off all by itself!
He’s quite beyond revival.
His arms? Ah, yes! They disappeared
prior to my arrival!
Miss Music
My heartbeat quickens with anticipation
for she who loves without discrimination.
I am drawn to her like a lure
Once she’s in my head, I am no more.
Sanity’s Requiem
Madness
Patient, cunning
watching, waiting, permeating
Might as well surrender…
Bliss.
Sanity’s Triumph
Wake up!
Where have you been?
Cast away your Dark
Passenger; He is your ally
no more.
Magnificent Trap
Dear Madame DuPont
with her carefully woven
grand, deadly abode
The Young Man from Quebec
YOU ARE READING
