Wooden eyes
and long, lean legs
a uniquely sophisticated
sense of humour
(his words)
He moved around
/ all fabled theatrics /
while she watched
his orchestrating
moves from
afar
*
Wooden skin
and fast beat steps
a uniquely sophisticated
sense of humour
(she couldn't tell)
He made his speech
/ all fabled theatrics /
and they all vowed—
- blind - deaf - wordless -
m a r i o n e tt e s
Smoking
French
poetry whore
cigarettes
o n e,
a f t e r
t h e
o t h e r
i wet my lips,
i puff—
frail
particles of
d i f f u s e d
s m o k e
S
d u
n m e r
u r
o
i bat my eyelids,
i stare away.
and puff—
o n e
a f t e r
t h e
o t h e r
still no
words, yet
i perceive
some
d a r k
v e r s e
s m o k e
has subtly
embraced
— p o s s e s s e d —
my f e a t h e r e d
d r e a m s
and,
while
i type
a widowed
v e r s e —
for a poem
i may
have dreamed—
but will
never, in ink,
b i r t h
smoking
French
poetry whore
cigarettes
o n e,
a f t e r
t h e
o t h e r
a drunken
song
waltzes
around
i n
m y
h e a d
“they’re not good for you.
he’s not good for you.
stop wasting
y o u r
b r e a t h
a w a y
remember—
smoking
ain’t good
for
the
l i v i n g .”
i n h a l e.
e x h a l e.
s m o k i n g
o n e ,
a f t e r
t h e
o t h e r
a
subtly
s o o t h i n g
d a r k ,s m o k e d
v e r s e
e
s m
e m e b
c r
a