Everyday Things: An Anthology

flip

                   

flip                                                  flip

      flip                                    flip

             flip                     flip

                          flip  

you can

fly on a pegasus

whisper to willows

sing with sirens

and dance with dragons

with just

one

             flip

so, pick up

that softbound teleporter

that portable magic

that gift you can open

again and

again

and

again.

pick up a book

           flip

discover,

and

dream.

jar of clay

 

jar of clay

holding,

cracking,

thirsting.

unfinished,

fickle,

and imperfect.

thirsty soul

craving spirit

searching always

for the Potter.

a mere wave,

             whisper, 

             vapor,

soon to pass.

a jar of clay

am

     i.

the locker

i am a keeper

a hider

never a seeker

your thoughts

your secrets

the things you hoard

the way you are

i know.

i know them all.

don’t you worry,

i will keep them

hide them

and no one

will find them.

i am

strong and sturdy

dark as night

a firewall made

to conceal and

protect.

                                                                                             

i will keep them

safe,

this i promise.

but, really,

how safe

your secrets will be

is

up

to

you.

Ode to Brilliant Blue

My father came home

with a tube of blue

for me.

Dark as half-past midnight,

but when purified,

as clear as the sky

and babies’ bright eyes.

I warmed it between my

welcoming palms,

marveling at the thick, round

tube that, when squeezed, would come

opaque oceans

dazzling eyes

mermaid hair

and dragon scales.

Yet this same wonder

held

monster claws

Yeti fur

vampire skin

and hot ice.

It was so dangerously beautiful

my hands hesitated

to curl its delicate fingers

around this mysterious magic.

But then, I remembered,

I hadn’t unscrewed it.

So, consider this:

There is a pthalo

to every robin’s egg,

An indigo

to every turquoise.

Consider this:

Even the most righteous fall.

Trust no one.

Make no friends.

Love none except yourself.

Never dream.

Never dare.

This ode has just taught you

how to

live life

a sealed

tube of blue. 

scissors [revised]

sharp and deadly

strong and steely

its grip as firm as iron

catastrophic cutters

bloodthirsty biters

menacing,

threatening,

never building up

always tearing

d

       o

       w

n

jaws relentlessly

endlessly

mercilessly

slicing

snipping

shearing

victims,

two from one

beware before it’s too l