Three Poems

Pool

Tricycled belly in the beginning
Outlines her blown-up body
Tied thick, pulling her underneath

 

For a moment she assumes
Rhythmically rocking her natural insecurity
It might be her teeth

 

Margit had warned her
And neither slept nor ate
Upstairs, she rocks him gently on a pillow of warm milk
Hung uncomfortably somewhere between

 

Holds his head under the cold water
Go to sleep honey, go to sleep

 

Steadily swaying, searching pockets for a proper tool
She tumbles over, crying herself pink
A wet noise hiccupping from her throat

 

Worm-Mucking

When I get to her apartment, she will have forgotten
I’m so happy to see you but you can’t stay
Worm or bread makes no difference
Slamming pink brown gut-filled
You should see the rugs I ordered
And puddles on the sills that two towels can’t soak
The screens bowed and holey from too much pushing
We should do this again, it’s never enough time
I tear my eye from the ground

 

 

Chase

Snake-skinned, I leave my casings
in your underwear drawer
Your dirty sock pile flakes with chrysalis
you look skyward, find me
sliming up the wall next to your closet.
I hoped you wouldn’t slam the door

 

I mistook backward glances for encouragement
and perhaps when I thought you reached for me
you were only stretching in another direction

 

your cheek over-laureled, your mouth covered
the eyes almost the last to go
and I swear I see your fingers moving
inviting me to circle at strings like a yarn-thirsty kitten
sword in hand