I know very little about you
I know you are a famous writer
that your work is extraordinary
I know where you live
that it is half a continent away from me
I know that I want you and you want me
and you are married
and I am
hot
We both know that you will not
betray your wife
So when we slid naked into the motel pool at 3 AM
when we did that
I didn’t know anything anymore
And when you massaged my feet and you told me this
is how you fell
in love with your wife
I
My name is Nila Marse
I may be older’n dirt and twice as ugly
But I ain’t never owed nobody nothin’
‘at’s right, I been worked like a mule all my life
bustin’ my ass and payin’ dues to where I’m bled drier than a salt box
I raised eight brothers and sisters with no mama
and a no ‘count daddy
Hell, he was worse than no daddy at all
I been workin’ thirty years at the chicken plant
my fingers all hobbled up
my lungs so full of dust from ground up chicken bones
every time I cough, feathers fly outta
by Lisa Martinovic
Constance Snow came home from the market with the world’s biggest pressure cooker, finally realizing her dream of stewing an entire cow. She was determined to make a memorable dinner for Tom Bridge, the man she hoped to marry.
Alas, Constance was so flustered by Tom’s early arrival that she didn’t notice him climb into the pressure cooker for a catnap.
She began peeling carrots and potatoes. Tom was so cozy, so lulled by the scent of oregano, he didn’t notice vegetable chunks raining down upon him.
Before long, Tom was done.
Constance made the best of it.
The Open House
Abby
by Lisa Martinovic
[All the poems and excerpts in this piece were written by Brenda Moossy. The entire text of each poem can be found here. Hear Brenda in her own voice reading Sadie]
“What if…
I stare at the heavens and the sky cracks wide?”
Angels could slip through in the blinding.
Stars rip from the firmament
form letters words prophecies of light
No matter
No matter
I will watch for the miracles to fall.
I want to see the stars, Mister.
I got to see the stars.
from What I Said to the Man Installing the Hot Tub
Those are
If I were a man
I’d have a big dick
just like the United States of America
a bulging, pulsing, heat-seeking hummer of an all-beef torpedo
amply endowed by his Creator
with the strength to carry the weight of nations
and inspire…
covert double takes at UN urinals
Yes, mine would be an impressive beast
I’d have to special order Congressional protection
to insure a fit that didn’t impede my circulation
Small nations might feel a slight clutch of fear
at first sight but
I’d be gentle — just ask Iraq
Mine would be a regal and handsome dick
dangling or erect, it would