Postcard Poetry: Day 12

Translation:
_____

Miami Skyline

Neon sky at sunset, you
brought all of us to life.
Fluorescent pinks cling
to unsuspecting buildings.
Glass skyscrapers reflect
the glittering city below.
My friends and I share
stories, pulse together.
Cabernet guzzles tinting
our teeth a lovely purple,
to match the clouds. /
_____

jb

Postcard Poetry: Day 11

Translation:
_____

Once in a Blue Muse

You bring me a bowl of blueberries
and dark chocolate. This
is what sweetness tastes like.
I dream of lying in a darkened
cemetery, bare arms & legs
on cool concrete slabs,
hand gripping the
handle of an axe -- fear.
My sister and I pretend to be
mermaids in blue water, under
blue sky. Oh blue, you take
many forms -- ripe, icy, supple,
clear. /

_____

Note: I received a postcard with the title "Once in a Blue Muse", which inspired this poem. I will start posting the postcards I received soon. So far I have received four lovely postcards! I have to say this project is getting much more rewarding the longer it goes on, and it really helps to be getting poems in the mail. Thanks to all for reading, too; it is really most appreciated. :) Happy Friday!

jb

Postcard Poetry: Day 10

Translation:

_____

Overheard Conversations on a Solo Lunch

-- I talked to Brad about how 

    all this technology is ruining

    our relationship. -- 

-- She didn't like my religion.

   -- Which is...?

-- Atheist. 

   -- So what do you worship?

       Darwin?

-- No. Nothing.

-- Who invented the atom bomb?

   -- The Nazis?

-- Let's get tea.

-- My palak paneer is cold. 

_____

jb

Postcard Poetry: Day 9

Hi all. Not sure if anyone noticed except CAS, but I didn't post a postcard yesterday! No worries, I did write a poem, take pics and mail it, but the posting on the blog did not happen then. So today you get 9 and 10. What a treat! Here goes:

Translation:

_____

Dirty

Cockroaches -- if you see one,

there are likely thousands 

more in the dark spaces

between your walls. Hundreds

of crunchy, invincible insects

now haunt my sleep; I imagine

six bugs crawling inside

the pair of jeans on the

floor. Something runs along 

my leg in bed -- I scream

"cockroach!" -- but it is only

my pillowcase unraveling.

_____

jb

Postcard Poetry: Day 8

Translation:

_____

I crossed paths with

a jagged glass vase, blood

seeped through to my skin's 

surface, instinctually the 

bleeding thumb went to 

my mouth. I calm myself

by licking my own
wounds. A cat -- I purr
to my red, dripping thumb.
Hours later, a tiny red x
marks the spot of the jag-
ged glass. My skin, a treasure
map, my body, the earth. /
_____

And now, after dropping the postcard in the mail, I say, oh, "instintually" is not a word; I meant "instinctively". Oh well. I really did work 8 hours of manual labor today, cutting myself deeply once and not so deeply several other times. Luckily I'm too tired to badger myself about my mistake. Sorry, recipient, for the bad grammar! :)

jb

Postcard Poetry: Day 7

Translation:

_____

I wanted to write an ode 

To an omelette, but my

brunch spot was closed. 

Instead I walked to buy

some plants -- sweet basil, 

heirloom tomato, taxi tomato, 

cilantro. I line them up on 

the stairs that I climb to

enter my apartment. I have

no pots to re-plant them.

I swat a mosquito from my 

tricep -- "Don't suck MY blood!"

He says, "Hey, we all gotta 

eat," and he flies off. Now

I sing of the food chain. /

_____

jb

Postcard Poetry: Day 6

Sorry about the later post today. The mail doesn't run on Sundays, so I took my time putting my new postcard out into the universe. Plus Mark's only day off is today, so we cooked a yummy breakfast of blueberry/chocolate pancakes and thick maple bacon. It's making me hungry just thinking about it. Without fail, here's Day 6's postcard/poem.

Translation:
_____

Me-ow, evil kitty

Follow through, little <(meow) kitty. Finish
your possibly okay (or maybe
pretty awful) short story. Start
a crafty project and finish
it. Hey girl with a thousand
ideas and not a single <(meow!)
perfect poem to show for it:
What are you afraid of,
little one, you; me? Take a bite.
Now another. Eat the elephant
one chewy gray piece at a
time. Don't leave your
sentences half
_____

jb <(meow)