Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The one where I claim to be a poet


While looking for my resume I realized a couple of things. One is I really need to organize my computer files. Two is I used to write poems that were really thoughtful and weird. I titled this one Molly's Crappy Poem but seeing it with new eyes and a few edits I think it's only moderately silly. Enjoy. 

No Money Down 

She said, “Forget the donkey.”
We left him at the city gate

Slogging forward on foot,  
our eyes adjust to the smog-filtered light.
Old newspapers bloom toadstools
 from abandoned corners
fresh mold stains sidewalks

Flyers screaming, “NO MONEY DOWN”
Float free
Like tumble weeds
Or plastered chain link fences
and
smack wetly under our boots

Faded headlines proclaim,
“Barbie gets a boob job”
and
“Get Rich without TRYING”

Backlit billboard sit low
On the horizon like
Idling UFO’s

Rabid duck gather
Under street lights
preening, wild-eyed ladies of the night.

We stop at in front of a
Crumbling sandstone tower
plastered with the ads of the century.

My companion smiles toothlessly
at the image of her former self
advertising tooth whiting cream.

I rub my finger nubs along a glossy, torn photo of
Me, flashing neon-glow-in-the-dark- press-on-nails

We add our spit
To the puddle
watering
The milkweed monarchy

And go sleep at a train station
Where the fire below fans the red
hair of my companion into a halo of regret.


Saturday, June 9, 2012

ant dat!


Badger has reached the “WANT THAT NOW “stage of his development. Well, I guess he has been in that stage forever but now he is able to verbally express it. As well as voice his displeasure loudly and repetitively if necessary.

It started off slowly, we would pass by a sunglass rack or something similar in the store and he would shout “Ant DAT! Uh uh” To which stupidly, I often replied “Eh, what’s the harm” and let him play with stuff. Unfortunately, this leads to loud screams of despair when play time is over and Badger doesn’t much like it either.



I’m slowly learning through negative reinforcement that it’s better that I just walk on by, often grim faced, my feet keeping time to the sound track of “antdatantantantdatantdatANNNNTTTDATTTT”




I often find myself almost rushing to find something anything that the Badger cannot break into that will distract him for the rest of the shopping trip. Let me tell you it came down to a jar of bread chunks the other day at the specialty grocer. Who buys that anyway at 5 dollars a pop?

I do love when we are sitting together for a meal and he points and says “ant dat ess” which, appears to mean want that cheese. It is a good feeling knowing that we are teaching a Badger to communicate his wants and needs.


Thank goodness he is a cutie!