something for which to be thankful

just met a friendly

creep at the coffee shop.

 

he speaks,

and space bends.

we tumble from here to there

too quickly to be secure.

 

how did I land in this troublingly

comfortable chair?

 

he says he can help me,

but I never trust an unsolicited smile,

and I hate when people assume

that I’m a nice person.

 

he asks about my past

like he’s trying to gather enough data

to forecast my future.

(great! a meteorological approach

to amateur pschologly!)

 

I tell him,

time is the false doctrine by which memories

justify their torture of mortals.

 

he whimpers softly,

then laughs loudly,

like an infant passing gas.

 

he’s the most painful

type of friendly:

I feel like I’m drowning,

but I’m thirsty.

 

as he drones along in his

background

elevator sonata,

 

my head shifts,

the ice cracks,

emotional lava rolls forth.

 

demons in lingerie sing me flavored pain

like fresh honey trickling down

a rusty nail.

 

I'm naked in a garden

of poisonous laughter.

 

I explain it all to him

in a strange tongue

which consists of only

howls and expletives.

 

finally, he gets it.

(like a dog gets neutered)

 

he looks frightened.

I feel frightening.

 

as this episode ends,

I’m sure he’ll never

speak to me again.

 

at least I have something

for which to be thankful. 

Reviews

[roarke]

I hope ya picked up the poor slob's coffee tab...

It all starts with clandestine meetings like that, some times you're aware of it at the moment, some times years later....
Primitive, primal, wild and raw. Starts and stops and all the wolf pack mewing's in between. Reality is tough and scary, truth...truth is flat out horrific.

[Ken Simm.]

This punches the words out. This is a umami poem. A fifth taste poem. Not nice, not not nice just umami. I like it.

[EMF]

Blessed Sanity. Harsh and Hard. Penetrating and expanding. Why the hell am I writing in three word sentences? A marvelous exploration of relationships and persona. Takes me back and leaves me reeling. It is stunning.