Heartbeat
—Poetry and Original Artwork by Joyce Odam, Sacramento, CA
THE MATCHING PILLOWS
No, sit on the pillow, Dear.
It will make you more comfortable.
And I made it just for you.
And I’ll fix you a cup of tea.
Or would you like to have
a tomato-beer with me?
It’s long enough after your pill.
Do you like your pillow?
Light me a cigarette, Dear.
I’ll fix you some lunch if you like.
I’m not hungry, myself.
I’ll light you a cigarette
off of mine.
Here, empty the ashtray first . . .
no, there . . .
into the sack by your elbow.
Would you like to play rummy?
Okay, then I’ll read.
Would you like another tomato-beer?
I’ll just have
half-a-one, myself.
Do you like your pillow?
No, sit on the pillow, Dear.
It will make you more comfortable.
And I made it just for you.
And I’ll fix you a cup of tea.
Or would you like to have
a tomato-beer with me?
It’s long enough after your pill.
Do you like your pillow?
Light me a cigarette, Dear.
I’ll fix you some lunch if you like.
I’m not hungry, myself.
I’ll light you a cigarette
off of mine.
Here, empty the ashtray first . . .
no, there . . .
into the sack by your elbow.
Would you like to play rummy?
Okay, then I’ll read.
Would you like another tomato-beer?
I’ll just have
half-a-one, myself.
Do you like your pillow?
Pulse
HERE WE ARE, BORN OF LIGHT
How we shimmer and
reflect to each other.
We become
love.
We touch
and we shatter.
We are broken into
many segments.
We mend ourselves
with dark seams.
How could we have known
it would be like this.
(prev. pub. in Medusa’s Kitchen, 2015)
Dark Mandala
THE LOOK IN HER EYE
After Shawn Colvin/A Few Small Repairs (CD Cover Art)
You strike a small flame from the red horizon
—hold the matchstick to your doubled eye,
speak of dusk—the slow receding sky
stealing all the light that love relies on.
You say that love is not a promise broken.
The match flame flickers, but does not burn down.
You say this proves the truth that you have spoken
—truth not even tears, or rain, can drown.
The land and sky connect. Your eyes burn red.
The match flares up. Your face absorbs the light.
What will you do with power made of fire?
You speak of Faith—Fire as an awesome thread
—a metaphor for what can re-ignite.
You say all love is made of such desire.
Urgency
HOUSE, GROWING OLD
he knows the house
knows all its rooms and
what the creakings mean
within the walls
he has been
under the house
crawling around in
the damp earth
helping it brace itself
fixing its water pipes
and looking for
termite danger
a leak slides down
the corner of a room
from the
all-night rain
now he is crawling around
in the attic
over the
wiring and insulation
calling: house house
are you all right
is there anything I can
do for you
(prev. pub. in The Wormwood Review, 1973 and
Lemon Center for Hot Buttered Roll, 1975)
he knows the house
knows all its rooms and
what the creakings mean
within the walls
he has been
under the house
crawling around in
the damp earth
helping it brace itself
fixing its water pipes
and looking for
termite danger
a leak slides down
the corner of a room
from the
all-night rain
now he is crawling around
in the attic
over the
wiring and insulation
calling: house house
are you all right
is there anything I can
do for you
(prev. pub. in The Wormwood Review, 1973 and
Lemon Center for Hot Buttered Roll, 1975)
Science
ON PERFECTION
I have marred the page with my pencil,
made a rude mark
and reached for an eraser.
Now there is flaw and rectification.
Now there is penance and smug solution.
How easily we repair the damages :
a pencil mark of carelessness—
a pen
would have been fatal.
But the page leaves a scar,
wears a smudge of reproof.
I put a bookmark there.
The bookmark is a stare. It knows I am guilty,
will not let me get past this point of reading.
How careless I have become.
I have marred the page with my pencil,
made a rude mark
and reached for an eraser.
Now there is flaw and rectification.
Now there is penance and smug solution.
How easily we repair the damages :
a pencil mark of carelessness—
a pen
would have been fatal.
But the page leaves a scar,
wears a smudge of reproof.
I put a bookmark there.
The bookmark is a stare. It knows I am guilty,
will not let me get past this point of reading.
How careless I have become.
Vaccine
YOU ARE THE ONE
pale down into haunted dark.
mark its edge.
press soft with your finger and thumb.
feel it resist.
grope past this flaw.
repair it with a shatter.
arranged and true,
like a bone.
you are a mender.
feel the power.
all breakage comes to you,
great hand and chance-giver.
all who are lost return their terror,
thin and difficult to measure.
do not be sad—all mockery is eager.
you are the one who will never.
yes, you are the one
who will never, never, never.
(prev. pub. in Celebration, 5/87)
pale down into haunted dark.
mark its edge.
press soft with your finger and thumb.
feel it resist.
grope past this flaw.
repair it with a shatter.
arranged and true,
like a bone.
you are a mender.
feel the power.
all breakage comes to you,
great hand and chance-giver.
all who are lost return their terror,
thin and difficult to measure.
do not be sad—all mockery is eager.
you are the one who will never.
yes, you are the one
who will never, never, never.
(prev. pub. in Celebration, 5/87)
Today’s LittleNip:
WHAT WE KEEP
—Joyce Odam
(just as now)
truth is made of laughter
(just now)
laughter is made of tears
(just as)
tears are made of mending,
tears will disappear—
laughter will weary of itself
and sleep—sleep
will try forgetting all the sorrow
_______________________
Joyce Odam has written to us and sent us artwork about our Seed of the Week, Healing, and we send her many thanks for those thoughts, coming as they are at a time when we’re all more than ready for it!
Whatever else is going on in our world these days, maybe a little Christmastide will cheer us up—something different to think about, at least! So let’s start the season early; our new Seed of the Week is “Christmas List”—yours, or somebody else’s—and don’t be shy about thinking metaphorically, either. Send your poems, photos & artwork about this (or any other) subject to kathykieth@hotmail.com. No deadline on SOWs, though, and for a peek at our past ones, click on “Calliope’s Closet”, the link at the top of this column, for plenty of others to choose from.
Apparently Sac. Poetry Center is still in action and will be holding two events this week, then returning with Socially Distant Verse next week on Monday.
WHAT WE KEEP
—Joyce Odam
(just as now)
truth is made of laughter
(just now)
laughter is made of tears
(just as)
tears are made of mending,
tears will disappear—
laughter will weary of itself
and sleep—sleep
will try forgetting all the sorrow
_______________________
Joyce Odam has written to us and sent us artwork about our Seed of the Week, Healing, and we send her many thanks for those thoughts, coming as they are at a time when we’re all more than ready for it!
Whatever else is going on in our world these days, maybe a little Christmastide will cheer us up—something different to think about, at least! So let’s start the season early; our new Seed of the Week is “Christmas List”—yours, or somebody else’s—and don’t be shy about thinking metaphorically, either. Send your poems, photos & artwork about this (or any other) subject to kathykieth@hotmail.com. No deadline on SOWs, though, and for a peek at our past ones, click on “Calliope’s Closet”, the link at the top of this column, for plenty of others to choose from.
Apparently Sac. Poetry Center is still in action and will be holding two events this week, then returning with Socially Distant Verse next week on Monday.
SPC events this week:
•••Wed., November 18th: 6-8pm
MarieWriters: Write to prompts and share poems in a supportive group, led by Nick LeForce. Go to zoom.us/j/671443996
•••Fri., November 19th: 4 pm
Writing from the Inside Out: weekly prompt writing course facilitated by Nick LeForce. Register and receive a weekly writing prompt, and then join a read-around group on Fridays at 4 to share your work. To register, see us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/upwkde-opjkpnyQECAVBKolY4hKCdl61uA/. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing zoom instructions.
______________________
—Medusa
Courage
—Public Domain Photo
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