24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
While the bay’s been ravaged
And the ocean poisoned
One thing remains the same.
While acid falls from the sky
And every night more people die
One thing remains the same.
As the sun sets, it moves in,
Like a wave across the skin,
One thing remains the same.
Whether hot or cold
Whether timid or bold,
One thing remains the same.
Here comes the fog.
Here comes the fog.
It always stays the same.
Can we have
a table for two,
waiter?
It is so full…
Yes, sir, it is;
it is monsoon
and none will take
the outdoors and wind.
Oh, then lets settle, dear,
for the outdoorsy,
under the umbrella
with blue-yellow stripes,
let’s go sit;
Why not, darling
the chairs are so antique,
almost rustic;
the food here is same,
with watered down spices;
but the drinks would be mixed
with elixir of heavens.
Right, madam
you both are in good company
of each other
we always have table for two
but never two that were brought together
for such fine dining and wining.
He could have served her tea
before the conversation swerved to
seeing her at the station with Jack
who she dated back before they met.
“Will you leave me for Jack?” She left upset,
He remained, gazing at the leaves in her cup.
Cloud Mountain
I tried to climb
To reach the top
Out of my comfort zone
No one told me how hard it was
When you start at the ocean floor
Drowning a bit in realization
I continue to rise
Getting to the surface
I struggle with the steps
Oh, wait I am swimming
Drowning a little
But I see my mountain
The clouds have left
One last leg
Just as I have it in my view
The clouds they come again
Hiding the cracks I need
For how am I to grasp
My heart, my breath
My cloud mountain
I wait as l have every year, candle lit, Jessie’s girl on repeat
a bottle of JACKS on the kitchen counter and an empty chair with
your name on it, an old fashioned roast in the oven, the table is
set for two, yet l stand by the window watching the rickety gate
for an older version of you to return, you went for a walk and l never left.
-s.j.duncan-
She sets your table, plops dinner down, and you eat.
No lust for the chore, no love for it any more, she washes dishes.
She serves you, like a debt, a duty, or a dog—for exchange.
Me, I’m dessert. I undress your mind, place desire on your table,
Luxuriate in your spine, the cup of your back, and your lips.
I serve you like a wife, a partner, and a chum—for love.
We laugh, talk, fuck, sleep, spoon, and wait, drinking in the hours
Until next we meet, a pair of arms entwined in exhausted heat.
For all that, she’s the one on the reservation, table for two.
I sat by the seashore
To dream my solitary dreams
I looked upon the water
Nothing is as it seems
To dream my solitary dreams
I stare solemnly at the horizon
Nothing is as it seems
The evening fog comes in
I stare solemnly at the horizon
I sat by the seashore
The evening fog comes in
I looked upon the water
Cage… Nicolage Nicolage. Cropped
hair bobs as you turn your head
on its side, flared nostrils, widened
then tightly shut blue eyes, jazz hands.
Your movements remain sharp as ever,
disjointed as the mouse that knocked
your birthday hat from your
three year old head. You’ll never
have curls again– your first haircut
robbed you, stole your curls despite
my prayers that you would
always remain that way.
We sit across from each other
your eyes never leave my face
looking for the mystery to be unlocked
why are we here, what is this place?
I cannot help your confusion
though I understand it better than most
we have been here before, you know
for birthdays, for eggs and toast.
We will keep returning, time after time
even though you no longer know my name
the familiar tablecloth, the glassware is the same.
consumption ran by itself
a chaotic constellation
nothingness
a statistical reality
translucent in my crystal ball
the masses are
swirling with currents and flows
natural matter
natural elements
in the image of-
so, at least, we are represented