Photograhs

[jonadine]

Freckled grin incandescent, snub-nosed, kewpie cute

it overflowed you and swept us all with you, especially me

Your joy tides left their mark on me

Like the seaweed limned flotsam at the beach

 

I hear my heart clapping the game of our childhood

Miss Merry Mack-ing our way to adolescence

Your moods were legendary

Subtle and irresistible as gravity

 

Glossed over with the normal-flavored artistic temperament

graceful natural dancer that you were,

poet, snake charmer, stubborn as a steel post

Your intensity was magical, genius, and I was your acolyte

 

The day they came hangs over me like a pall, sometimes

Its a jumble mostly, clone pairs of emergency workers,

Wielding clipboards like shields,

asking reasonable, purposeful, meaningless questions.

 

Absurdly, I remember that in each pair, one had a mustache,

and each not-twin asked me the same things

about allergies, medical problems

and were there any drugs in the house.

 

There is a moment though, that lives in my head like a photo,

When you were tongue twisting the shape of insanity

Jaws unhinged like a snake, giving birth

to a joke so huge, I splattered against it like slung mud.

 

Memory after that is narrow and dark,

They rolled you out naked as a shell-less snail,

And gave me small jobs to do

Packing up clothes, and shoes and toothbrushes,

 

And suddenly, your sanity hung by a thread

scattered and distracted like the prisms you kept in your window

And you told me you had to do this alone

And primary colors flashing, you were gone.

 

 

 

 

[jonadine]

Freckled grin incandescent, snub-nosed, kewpie cute,

it overflowed you and swept us all with it, especially me.

Your joy tides left their mark on me

Like seaweed limned flotsam on the beach.

 

I hear my heart clapping the game of our childhood

Miss Merry Mack-ing our way to adolescence,

I knew you, pigtails to sandcastles,

and your moods were subtle and irresistible as gravity.

 

Glossed with normal-flavored "artistic temperament"

graceful, natural dancer that you were,

poet, snake charmer, stubborn as a steel post

Your intensity was magical, genius, and I was your acolyte

 

The day they came hangs over me like a pall, sometimes

Its a jumble mostly, clone pairs of emergency workers,

Wielding clipboards like shields,

asking reasonable, purposeful, meaningless questions.

 

Absurdly, I remember that in each pair, one had a mustache,

and each not-twin asked me the same things

about allergies, medical problems

and were there any drugs in the house.

 

There is a moment, razored from that day, a photo that lives in my head

When you were tongue twisting the shape of insanity

Jaws unhinged like a snake, giving birth

to a joke so huge, I splattered against it like slung mud.

 

Memory after that is narrow and dark,

They rolled you out naked as a shell-less snail,

And gave me small jobs to do

Packing up clothes, and shoes and toothbrushes,

 

And suddenly, your sanity hung by a thread

scattered and distracted like the prisms you kept in your window

And you told me you had to do this alone

And primary colors flashing, you were gone

[The Portrait of Zool]

I like it!

 

I like it!!

[Brighid of Byrness]

The next to the last stanza reminded me of how I felt as I helped my mother go through the motions soon after my father died. Naked emotions...

[jonadine]

Freckled grin incandescent, snub-nosed, kewpie cute,

it overflowed you and swept us all with it, especially me.

Your joy tides left their mark on me

Like seaweed limned flotsam on the beach.

 

I hear my heart clapping the game of our childhood

Miss Merry Mack-ing our way to adolescence.

I knew you, pigtails to sandcastles,

and your moods were subtle and irresistible as gravity.

 

Glossed with normal-flavored "artistic temperament",

graceful, natural dancer that you were,

poet, snake charmer, stubborn as a steel post,

Your intensity was magical, genius, and I was your acolyte.

 

The day they came hangs over me like a pall, sometimes.

Its a jumble mostly, clone-pairs of emergency workers,

Wielding clipboards like shields,

asking reasonable, purposeful, meaningless questions.

 

Absurdly, I remember that in each pair, one had a mustache,

and each not-twin asked me the same things

about allergies, medical problems

and were there any drugs in the house.

 

There is a moment, razored from that day, a photo that lives in my head:

When you were tongue twisting the shape of insanity

Jaws unhinged like a snake, giving birth

to a joke so huge, I splattered against it like slung mud.

 

Memory after that is narrow and dark.

They rolled you out naked as a shell-less snail

And gave me small jobs to do

Packing up clothes, and shoes and toothbrushes,

 

Then, your sanity hung by a thread, scattered and distracted,

Like the prisms you kept in your window.

You looked right at me, and you said you had to do this alone

And, primary colors flashing, you were gone

[jonadine]

Congratulations! We are pleased to accept for publication your manuscript , M13-2535, "Photographs." I found your poem incredibly moving, shockingly good, and professionally crafted. You have a great talent, and it shows with this piece. Thank you so much for sending it our way

 

Jomeansme: squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[The Portrait of Zool]

Mega congratulations!

 

You earned it!