Silent Truth/Talking Moon

 

—Poetry by Gabriel Bates, Tiffin, OH

—Public Domain Photos 

Courtesy of Joe Nolan, Stockton, CA

 

 

 

but, hey, I say, well, that's okay

I read something once
about an old TV show
I used to watch
when I was little.

it was about a bear
and a big, blue house
and a talking moon.

anyway,
this article
was going on about
why the show ended
back in the day.

apparently,
it was because
the woman who voiced
the moon
had passed away,
and the rest
of the production crew
didn't have the heart
to continue the show
without her.

and it made me think
about how much
the world can change
when just a single person
has to say goodbye
to it.

 

 

 

 

instant camera

it's one of those
retro products,
something they bring back
just to profit
off your nostalgia
for the good old days.

still,
we loved it
as soon as we saw it
in the store.

just tap the button,
and watch the picture
develop almost instantly.

yeah,
we've captured
a lot of memories
with that thing.

but the ones
that really stick with me
are the snapshots
of our babies
smiling and smiling,
not even knowing
why they're so happy.

 

 

 

 

pork steak

that's what I was trying
to make for dinner
the other night.

I seasoned the meat,
put it in a crockpot,
added some
cream of mushroom soup,
and left it all to cook
for a few hours.

then I made
mashed potatoes
to go with it.

once everything
was finally done,
I sat down to eat.

that first bite
was disappointing though.

it just didn't taste the same
as my grandmother's recipe.

but I still finished it
because I knew
she would've wanted me to.

 

 

 

 

the silent truth

I've been staying up late
on the weekends recently,
usually until 4 or 5
in the morning.

sometimes my fiancée
will come into the living room
to find me passed out
on the couch
with the TV still on
and everything.

she gets so pissed
when she sees me there,
and I don't understand why.

I'm only trying
to make up for lost time,
maybe regain a few hours
for myself.

is she really that upset
about it?

or is she mostly worried
that she might wake up
one of these nights,
and I won't be there at all?

I'm not
really sure.

but I think we're both scared
of something,
and we don't want to say it
out loud.

_____________________

Today’s LittleNip:

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

—Buddha

_____________________

Newcomer Gabriel Bates is a poet living in Tiffin, Ohio. His work has appeared in several publications, online and in print. Keep up with him at gabrieljbates.blogspot.com/. Welcome to the Kitchen, Gabriel, and don’t be a stranger!

Today at 4pm, Silver Tongue Saturdays presents Amanda Moore plus open mic in Auburn at the City Hall. Click UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS at the top of this column for details about this and other future poetry events in the NorCal area—and keep an eye on this link and on the Kitchen for happenings that might pop up during the week.

_____________________

—Medusa

 

 

 

 Gabriel Bates

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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