One

Glitterless cards.

Denuded velvet chocolates boxes.

Kewpie dolls with their curl-

Like the final filip on a soft serve cone-

Bit off savagely.

(Who does that?)

Cardboard cupids nurse hangovers.

Red paper ribbon winding its way across the floor,

Through the pool of rubbed off glitter,

To a chair behind the counter.

A woman is sitting there faded by life

Like the silk flowers in the window.

It’s mid-June not February;

Are you too lazy to care?

Or is this what you think of love?

The woman sighs, reaching for her flyswatter.

I Wanted To Be Left Alone

All I wanted to do was wrap up in my Snuggie,
Play games on my laptop, maybe eat a little chocolate.
You were going to the store and wanted me to go with
But I have cramps & my back hurts & I really don’t care
If anybody eats again as long as they leave me alone.
You wore me down and I put on decent clothes &
Washed my face & combed my hair & sat down to wait.
I sat on the edge of the couch while you read
1
2
3
4
sections of the Sunday paper and drank your tea.
Suddenly an internal signal sounded and you stood up.
I stood up too, bouncing off the sofa like a jack-in-the-box.
Now you’re mad all over again.
You say I had bad body language. I need to monitor myself.
I need to be more aware of what my body is saying.
The purpose of language is communication and I know
My body is saying what my words and voice said 40 minutes ago:
I want to be left alone.

A Blue Bird Found My Heart

A blue bird found my heart
Deflated by your leaving,
Caught by its string in a tree.
It hadn’t flown very far.
He used it to make a colorful nest;
And I, this poem.

Early Discarded

Halfway to the bottom of the dumpster I lie- a bodyless teddy bear.
My head rent from my body by a display of excessive love and possessiveness-
Where was Solomon when my ownership was being disputed?
A poorly marked gift, a fight broke out, I felt a wrenching pain then there were tears all around.
Sure, attempts were made to repair me but while some hurt feelings can be easily mended little bears sometimes cannot.
Father provided distraction in the form of a jolly board game,
While Mother disposed of the disturbing evidence;
That would be me.
Santa promised a little girl would love me and so briefly I held the attention of two.
Who could have predicted I’d be spending Christmas night here among the torn wrappings, coffee grounds, and dozens of walnut shells?

But I’m Not Fat Freddy

Mom’s cat,
Li’l P, missed her
litterbox- Yes- with pee-
and soaked my shoe. That cat hates me
but why?