Postcard Poetry: Day 19

Translation:
_____

Snapshot.

A man & wife with a baby
in tow asked me to take
their picture on the sidewalk.
I framed them perfectly
in the camera's eye, magenta
flowers shining pink/purple
light on their faces. "One
more?" they say, so I turn
the camera to take a vertical
shot. They say "ooh." I tell
them I love perspective, squat
down to capture their lovely
shadows lengthening. /
_____

jb

Postcard Poetry: Day 18

Translation:
_____

Watercolor, like me

Watercolor is lovely because
it's imperfect. A brush-full
of crimson paint bleeds on
wet paper, seeps to bended
corners, the art of gravity.
You will not last forever,
watercolor. Rain makes your
colors cry, sun exposure
fades your once-vibrant hues.
Your paper will be eaten with
tears and holes. You will join me,
my body, in the dirt. The
beauty is that together we lived. /
_____

jb

Postcard Poetry: Day 17

Translation:
_____

On today's walk I see

A girl in a Dodgers hat
lighting up a cigarette
while riding a bike.
Two sisters hold hands
while watching a neighbor
struggle up her front
steps. Squirrel crossing the
road looks like a bouncing
brown ribbon dancer. My
lunchtime beer served in a
tall wine glass, "Brown
Sugar" on the jukebox. /
_____

jb

-- Project is more than halfway over. Time is flying, y'all.

Postcard Poetry: Day 16

Translation:
_____

Full

I cannot stop collecting jars.
An emptied salsa jar holds
my unworn necklaces.
I bought tequila in a cobalt
bottle, drank it quickly and
gave it a home in my
kitchen window. An empty
relish jar now holds string,
wine corks, mismatched
buttons. I find things empty
and I fill them up. Bamboo
growing in an old peanut can. /
_____

jb

Postcard Poetry: Day 15

Translation:

_____

Once when I was drunk at

a family court charity

event, a judge asked me

my favorite animal. I say

tiger. What is my second fav-

orite? Monkey. He tells me

I am the first animal, my

ideal lover the second. 

One Cuba Libre later he taps

me on the shoulder, reveals

a banana. No thank you,

I say, fangs glinting. Hiss.

Too much potassium, not

enough blood. /

_____

jb

Postcard Poetry: Day 14

Okay, I'm behind/ahead. I was ahead, and now I'm behind my ahead, so I'm basically on track. I'm posting one this morning (that I wrote and mailed yesterday), and I will do my best to post another one today. I will definitely write and send one, but I'm just getting behind on the actual posting it to you. (Therefore, one could argue that I'm not behind at all!) So, here's Day 14.

Translation:
_____

Turmeric, Magic

You are brown/orange
and hypnotic. I want
to sprinkle you into
soup and drip you down
my throat. I want to
cake you over my skin
like clay while I glow
golden under a blood-
red gown. Stain
my smooth arms & legs,
forehead, wide open palms.
_____

jb

Postcard Poetry: Day 13

Lucky day thirteen! Day 13 was actually yesterday, but I didn't post it. So today you'll get two. Day 13 now, and day 14 later in the day. For now, enjoy 13. :)

Translation: 

_____

Tell me a story:

of when you

were young. Even one day

younger will do -- a story 

of you from yesterday. 

How did you walk; what

did you eat; what shirt

were you wearing; how

many times did you smile?

Did you learn a new word,

name or face? Did you touch 

your toes; did you brush your

hair or a lover's hand? Let's

not forget the story of ourselves. /

_____

Note: Day 13 essentially got two poems, since the front of the postcard has a very simple ode poem on the front. Here's the translation of that, if you can't read it...

Ode

To sleeping in late. / To fun. / To pineapples.

To old, soft sweatshirts. / To lips that kiss. / To

mistakes. / To different views. / To garlic. / To

fuzzy socks. / To pens. / To you.

To drinking tequila. / 2 the

strength of hands. / To 

purple. / To my love. / 

To breasts. / To life. / To the 

new car-smell. / To the new baby

smell. / To books and book-

cases. / To dirt. / 

To: ______________.