poetry & photos
Having skittered clear
across the wet intersection,
one regretful person
(clutched in terror)
was the reason for
standstill traffic
tonight
Finally, it was my
turn to rubberneck,
when this ominous,
arresting image
caught me instead:
a procession of
autos, snaked miles
into the distance–
a thousand p u f f s s
of exhaust breath
hanging still
in the night
Darling as she was,
body scoot-scooting down
the hall–
pitter-patter nails on cement,
racing her owner to the
elevator, where I wait
at 8:30am
Two-pound Chihuahua,
blind as a bat
It is the sort of place
where dogs flee unleashed
through parking garages,
in elevators, through
open apartment doors
(in summer)
Leashes are carried,
administered sparingly
(on sidewalks, mostly)
And while sometimes
stressful, the dogs
aren’t the only ones
who find it freeing
After which, he plunged the
cast iron pan into a soupy
sink of egg and bean particles.
Over easy, as it were, is actually
quite hard.
Four yolky casualties! He threw
up his hands: “We are not
having eggs this morning.”
My heart has been both heavy and joyful at the changes in relationships around me. Having witnessed painful departures, alongside exciting transformations–and at the same time, preparing to commit to lifelong partnership with my own love.
I wanted to explore the complexity of late-20s, early-30s relationships. I wrote this poem a few weeks ago, and a couple of days ago I created this eerie music to accompany the words. 🙂
The floating faces
on any garden variety
newsfeed are guaranteed
to radiate larger-than-life
satisfaction.
◆ ◆ ◆
Distance and timezones
three removed, I’m a
fool to rely on a daily
scroll to keep tabs
◆ ◆ ◆
A cherry-picked,
carefully composed
gallery is suited for
general consumption
only. Acquaintances,
rejoice.
◆ ◆ ◆
Time and again,
my heart tugs with
longing: they are so
happy and I’m missing
all of it.
◆ ◆ ◆
Time and again,
my heart leaps: we
chat, we text, we
converse. Their lives
are just as varied,
uncertain, exhausting,
lovely, rich and complex
as ever.
There is no convenient
time to start over, share
bad news, be ‘off’ at work.
No convenient
time to be heartbroken,
a fact that keeps some
relationships dutifully
intact.
After seeking the abstract,
we search for absolutes.
Routines.
Fresh fruit.
Woven blankets on the sofa.
We labor over mutual interests,
Myers-Briggs compatibility,
and shared domesticity.
Moreover: affection!
Freedom from gender roles!
Still, the Venn diagram:
You maintaining your you-ness,
me maintaining my me-ness —
it’s what keeps our relationship
beautifully intact.
Is it terrible
that I have to Google my
grandmother’s first name
when I send occasional postcard?
Marian, Miriam, Marion – I never
remember. But Google’s ‘Marion’
has his own Wiki page and
wrote a book, something my
grandmother only ever
aspired to.
Something I only ever
aspire to. My own Wiki page,
my name in print on shelves.
Perhaps we’re not so dissimilar.
