Saturday, May 18, 2024

This Husband Or That

 —Poetry by Roberta Beach Jacobson,
Indianola, IA
—Public Domain Photos Courtesy of
Roberta Beach Jacobson
 
 
OUT OF THE ORDINARY

This water is holy
  Grandma tells me
     as she sips

Is it from a church?
Did somebody in a frock bless it?
  I argue it’s ordinary water

She offers me her cup
   as she reminds me rainwater
     comes from heaven
 
 
 

 
WILD DAISIES

My twin and I were 22
when I picked daisies
in a field for him.
He cried.

Why wait until a funeral
to think of flowers?
Life should smell sweet!

Every birthday after that
I’ve sent him roses,
sometimes red,
other times yellow.
 
 
 
 

NO NAME

His unkempt hair
washed by rainwater
All he asks for is a comb,
but everybody refuses

When he begs for a sandwich,
a coffee,
a cold drink,
people ignore him

Instead they sneer at him,
pushing him aside,
laughing, belittling him,
calling him insults

His wallet is empty,
his heart broken,
his feet cold,
his prayers unheard

He feels like nobody
After a while 
he forgets his name

Most days he spends in a mall
offering him shelter, public restrooms,
water fountains

Silently he sits
alone on a wooden bench,
or he walks around
digging in trash cans for scraps of food

One day a perky toddler
approaches him, smiles,
says hello

Where did his voice go?
He can’t find any words,
but for the first time in years
he remembers how to cry
 
 
 
 

TUESDAY

high pressure
in our cubicles
every phone ringing

I play nice
to get through this day,
but my smile soon wanes

At 4 pm sharp
I put on my jacket
and break free
 
 
 
 

THIS HUSBAND OR THAT

this husband was younger
than that husband
but he smelled like
the locker room at the gym


this husband was smarter
than that husband
but not by much


this husband always remembered
her birthday
but that husband never forgot
their anniversary


this husband broiled steak for her
every weekend
while that husband grilled fish


this husband spent her money freely
but that husband stashed sacks of old money


this husband backpacked Europe
while that husband invited her to fly to Bali


this husband counted stars
while that husband counted money
this husband named stars after her
that husband bought Hollywood stars


this husband tumbled into a canyon
and was never heard from again
that husband ran through the airport
with a loaded gun before he was taken down
 
 
 


Today’s LittleNip:

TOTALITY
—Roberta Beach Jacobson

our love eclipses
trapping us in darkness
but only for brief moments
because soon the heavens open
so clouds can empty on our heads

___________________

—Medusa, with welcome back and thanks to Roberta Beach Jacobson for her fine poetry and visuals today!
 
 
 
 Roberta Beach Jacobson
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 







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