The Gods of Poetry
Superior Spirit,
Elevated tone's a must. It fits!
Oh, how I long to write Oh,
And NOT illicit eye-rolls.
How I'd relish a T.S. sassy-horse,
A deliciously lofty Wasteland.
The Occasional
Some remnants remain.
This afternoon, a blue
shirt and black-striped tie
wear a young,
well-scrubbed Italian.
His lunch partner looks annoyed.
Seven months ago,
that same seat was mine.
Christ! — how
many meals, how many
alternating rants and
silences? Interruptions?
One particular evening,
that table at El Charro.
Sick in my own skin.
(Sick like my mother's been
sick
these thirty-three years.)
Dipping chips in salsa
With invisible hands.
List to Amuse the Poets
1. Poets are suspicious of marriage.
2. Poets are control freaks.
3. With #2 comes tight, beautiful poems — as well as side effects.
4. If you are a poet, you'll know what those are.
5. The poet's goal is the mythologization of their own life.
6. The poet mistrusts other myths: Christ, Zeus, etc.
7. Poets love coffee.
8. Poets admit to loving Starbucks.
9. The poet gets hard for language.
10. The poet must accept one fact.
11. The only people who'll read his/her poems will most likely be other poets.
12. If a poet is lucky enough to find a poet of the preferred sex, the poet should consider this possibility at length.
13. The poet does not mind being snowed-in in February.
14. The poet has the most patience of the 20 who stand in a grocery line.
15. The poet eats the same foods as the non-poet — wipes their ass the same way, too.
16. If one wants to be exceedingly philosophical, one could argue against the existence of the non-poet.
Enjoy this and other poetry from Heather A. McMacken (disclosure: McMacken is a contributor to the Metro Times) at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 10, at Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea, 106 S. Main, Royal Oak; 248-586-9602.
