The Marathon journey continues. Search under the category Day Trip Poetry Marathon 2018 for earlier entries.
Here I am at Brendlinger Library, Montco, on April 19. Another chilly gray day as I drive through Ambler, PA – here is my traditional intersection shot, and I do wonder when that yellow store to the right will get rid of the snowflakes in the window? Maybe that is what is holding up warmer weather?
Arriving on campus, I see blooming trees. I am heartened to think that they are going ahead and doing their spring thing, no matter what the weather cues are. I appreciate it.
I settled at a table on the main floor in a spot I’ve been favoring recently near the stairs.
The library is busy today – school will be coming to an end in a couple of weeks or so. I heard students talking about exams in several subjects, including one guy who told a friend he was studying for an accounting exam starting in 15 minutes. I found myself hoping this was not all the studying he was doing, but since he did not sound panicked, I figured he just meant he was going over a few key points. Yes. I am hoping.
I had edited last week’s poems at home yesterday, so today I was working on new poems and Little Vines. I am closing in on 1000 Little Vines (written starting last April) and I think I’ll make a print book of them all on their own when I get there. I would estimate 2 or 3 more weeks. I hoped to have time for a Minuscule, too.
All right. Here are some samples of today’s work.
How does anyone ever know what to want?
2.
Been going to here
and going to here
Got here
realize I was already here
a while back
had refused to notice it
because
I
Because I
Sit down
with a thump
hmph
to think it over
the chair is overstuffed
the seat cushions cold
damp
you know that feeling
I sit here long enough I’ll warm them up
but
the chair says
hmph
I take it as a comment
Now what?
Yes. This is me. In tanka form.
5.
Arthritic big toe.
Of all the joints to seize up.
A snort of laughter
when it’s sympathy I need.
Please respect my vintage toes.
I know all about this kind of carpet, being a teenager in the 1970’s, when pretty much everyone I knew had it. We did too. But – this whole poem is made up. Imagination all the way. Although I did pull out a dark green version of this carpet from a dumpster in 1980, to use in my first apartment. And when I left that building, I put it back in the dumpster for someone else to take. It showed no wear. More than you needed to know, I guess.
9.
You might think shag carpet
went out with the 70’s
but well-preserved versions
still exist. Check out the floors
two houses down the street
my grandmother who
still has a green-gold mix
wall-to-wall
in the main rooms and hall
tie-dyed near the phone table
where my cousins spilled bleach
when we were teenagers
but the chair mostly covers it now
Don’t ask why we had bleach in the living room
I do not remember.
The carpet
has made cameo appearances
in countless family photos and
and dramas
I remember one incident
my uncle
lost his car keys
and we crawled on the floor
combing the strands with our fingers
until we found them
under the dining room table
By then he had sobered up
and we could let him drive.
Over the years
despite pleas to remove
from trend-conscious family members
my grandmother has refused
to let go of the carpet
up to now when
at this late stage of things
she wants to install
manufactured wood flooring
for a more modern look
Why at her age
she must rejoin the masses
after decades of living a widening divergence
from mainstream flooring options
I do not know. I’m heartbroken.
I plan to take a suitable quantity
of green-gold
from the curb if I have to
excluding any tie-dyed sections of course
It will make a very nice
area rug for my den
Next thing you know
she will be getting rid of the swag lamp
tassels and all. I make a note
to keep my eye on it
too.
Little Vines. I made an epic number of them today, down to kk.
b.
a mental link
with the poisonous ant
ouch it could kill me
d.
idol status
cyanide
mixed with snide
e.
traffic jam
car marmalade
let’s avoid pedestrian jelly
f.
mix concrete at faster and faster speeds
your goal
a sonic boom inside a sidewalk
g.
I sang on stage
made your ears hurt
you were real nice about it
i.
your mind sparkles
like that jar of red jelly
but something is wrong with the flow valve
j.
escaped
or liberated
yes I am divorced
s.
a pale shimmer in the back of my brain
like stylish champagne
another premonition
t.
driving lessons aren’t cheap
french fries win no arguments
the bees sting you on your face
and for ten cents I’d eat the soap myself
u.
don’t you think a tearful headache
deserves pajamas and slippers
a bowl of that fast-acting vanilla ice cream?
v.
the ball point pen
sputtered along the page
a former colleague who used to have a lot of style
x.
no soap old geezer the lip man said
nobody cares about the negatives these days
when we’ve got the internet
y.
now where is my super-light
subtle and unstable
conscience?
aa.
the old technology
never worried just believed
a long list of mystery ingredients made it work.
dd.
we are best friends and we don’t know why
the professor and I
we’ve checked and rechecked our calculations
we are still best friends and we still don’t know why
ff.
so loud and you need sunglasses
there’s no air like this city air
I love everything about this burg.
gg.
oh no it’s an emergency
multiple calls from neighbors
resident spotted wearing non-conforming sneakers
hh.
green smoke in the elevator
no wife and no bridesmaids either
Leave now we can’t wait until it starts to make sense
ii.
point of impact my heart
you fried my electrical system with one look
I love everything about you
Thank you for reading! See you next time.
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