Monday, April 9, 2007

Heads, I win. Tails, you lose.

ZERO SUM GAME

The very best stories are always apocryphal
or at least full of lies. Or better yet, two

lies & a truth, all indistinguishable
from little puffy clouds. That white one

over there looks like the shroud of Turin.
Or a b-day cake. Guess who just turned two?:

my pure, unadulterated hatred
of the way everybody says babies are so won-

derful. Love is not really stronger than death,
just more duplicitous. Prettier, too,

but beauty eventually goes the way of youth
& that situation is never win/won.

5 comments:

mark wallace said...

A poem that attacks people's feelings about babies? Is there no dark emotion that you won't confess as casually as if it couldn't possibly matter? Aren't you ashamed? And why do I feel relieved?

Elisa Gabbert said...

If you feel that we've missed a dark emotion, please do tell us so that we can quickly address/confess it.

steve roberts said...

Oh this blog is fun. And I like this poem a lot.

Elisa Gabbert said...

Dang, you beat me to a comment...yr NaPo's have been among my very faves (last year too).

editor galaxy said...

Babies are so wonderful.
Lies and truth, tales to lose

your unadulterated and full
casket situation youth.

You lied to a puffy birthday
cake, tho love is indistinguishable

from the shroud, they say,
and hate a rumor, apocryphal.