Book Spine Poem



Beloved,
Haunted,
Running with scissors,
We touch the sky

"Sure" Revised

When he said the word,
“Sure,”
It sounded like the anagram
With all the original letters exactly once
It was
Passive
Like week-old salad
On a plate next to the sink
Aggressive
Hit the wall and shattered


When you said the word
“Sure!”
I knew you meant it
It made me think
Of "That Time" and "Apres Moi"
A haircut in the laundry room
A poetry reading at Seattle Mobile Espresso
That 5:45 AM has the best light for photos
And that the farmers' market has jewelry vendors


A gold and ivory ring with a rose
Reminded me of my mom and Granny Janie
But I am never
Sure enough
I set it back down on the display
You picked it back up


When I said the word,
“Suuuure,”
I meant it like Christmas pajamas in summertime
Like recently-painted toes
Sticking out from snowflake hems
Like, Of course you're right but
I'm gonna pretend I think you're making it up
because you laugh
Like kids' cereal
Fruity Pebbles and vanilla almond milk
For sure
And coffee with cinnamon creamer


And you know 
I'm watching Garden State
Is code for week-old salad
Surely
On a plate
Next to the sink

Silhouette

It’s sort of like a truck
Tire flap silhouette
When I block the light a certain way.

After a shower,
the light from the bathroom
frames me at the end of the hallway.

Is that a boob or an elbow?

Interior Design

Three walls.
Three couches.
I sleep on the floor with a full set of sheets and a comforter,
Like I've made a home here.
I believe somehow that I live here because of that fact
That I own the house.
I bought it a few weeks ago.
Loved the tour.
Good layout.
Lots of privacy.
So I start to think,
Hey,
I own this house
Why am I living in the living room?


It’s about time I decorated.
Second walking tour.
Oh hey,
There’s a bear in in my sunken living room.
It seems pretty contained.
Caesarstone counters, hmm.


I pass the bear to look out the window of the front door.
Oh no!
I’ve shown the bear the way out,


The front door.
RUN.
Pull the cat food off the top shelf so it smashes on the floor.
The bear is satisfied with the snack.
Another bear comes
Out of the echoing hallway.


She does not like cat food.
RUN.
I run down the stairs,
Back to the living room I was living in,
Out the door with an all-the-way-across “push to open” handle.
The bear is right behind me,
Right on the other side of the door.


I hold it shut.
I am stronger than a bear.
How do phones work?
I look at mine.
I had just pulled out of my pocket.
Bear chase.
Bear chase.
Is that 411 or 911?

Shelved

An expensive game waits to be played
Like a bruise waits to be punched.
All the words put together
Are more convincing.