Nancy Ibsen
not a mammal as such
lord god bird itch in the center of the forehead
walking in circles
his heaviest hoof his third eye has grown bone spur
he is sighted in the long morning
the horn is the least grass blade's shadow
the mermaid with her own clean hook
and coral reef shoulder to throw it
looks the other way when the hero is being most heroic
such curious ways to eat each other
here is the manuscript thus far
in case I cannot make my fingers close around the horn
he will lay his head in the mermaid's overlapping marsh
but he only loves the hot grass
Lake Tahoe
Pie of wet sand in the crotch of my bathing suit and sandpaper white bathmat banner of paper over the toilet seat cloud of paper around the water glasses water too hot on sunburn skin white table cloth and white sourdough and pats of white butter too hot freak snow shower in July mixed with brassy green dragonflies must know if I can open my eyes here where I spend my days nose clip for somersaults forward and backward both Keno tickets and syrup pitchers with pastel plastic handles everyone's birthday I said the word shit over and over as I sharpened the wedge of wet sand until my older brother told me that is a dirty word and I didn't know what it meant but said no I was saying ship bonanza horse trail red painted straw hat and girls jeans cutting into my chubby waist anything for dad anything to spend an afternoon with just dad and away from her did you did you ever notice me jammed into the padded cone with the blue elastic straps the minnows under the dock shared the water with my thick thighs and didn't speak the water's touch was bearable the water always freckled me always chilled me or heated me the water always floated me I could count on it
but everything is also lined with pencil shavings
daddy-longlegs hanging from the sink pipe is this any kind of life for you have you no ambition habitual dust that knows the window sill but dreams of a white glove with two pearl buttons wicker basket lonely on the lonely porch in the lonely fucking moonlight o pretty moon piffle your lease is up I despise the aardvark for its front row desk its perfect SAT scores i want the exfoliating mitt the new fur irritates nitely
Court My Shadow
Eye to eye
with the scorpion on the mirror,
you reach for your pants
you let your testicles hang between your legs.
You leave your butt bare for a minute.
How can you put on your t-shirt,
with such an easy smile?
How can you break that gaze?
A scorpion's heart is a long string down his center.
The least to rebuff that sun,
your stain glass window bee kissed down my neck.
Light through the window with a back not silver enough
balanced under you and heated the red bits in the wetness,
heated my stringy heart.
Your legs ticked to the buzzing.
How is it that you part my lips again with your body
after we said goodbye in quiet voice?
You toppled out of candle dark
after we said goodbye in quiet voice.
How is it that you part my lips again with your body?
Your legs ticked to swaying height over my skin,
cupping my stringy heart,
you spill the red bits in the wetness.
My back is now silver enough.
The sunlight is a window balanced under you.
A scorpion's heart is a long string down his center.
How did you break that empty sky
with such an easy smile?
Your window bee stains the kiss down my neck,
the least to rebuff that sun.
How can you put on your t-shirt
How can you leave your butt bare for a minute
and let your testicles hang between your legs
as you reach for your pants
with the scorpion on the mirror
eye to eye.
Chicago
