Now You See it Poems

2005·0.72 MB·English

by  Ron Wallace

Now
You See
It
Poems by
Ron Wallace
A PARALLEL PRESS CHAPBOOK
XhiAs On©
A51H-ZF0-X2Z3
Now
You Sec It
Poemsby
RonWallace
PARALLEL PRESS 2OO5
•
Copyright©2005bytheBoardofRegentsof
theUniversityofWisconsinSystem.
Allrightsreserved.
isiNi«8933u-57-o
PuUidwdbyPiuaMPress
UnimsilyofSWsaauin-Madiionlibnury
72SStaleStreet
MadlmWI
53706
littpi/^[winripimJibiMy»iyiic€dii
HieauthorwouldKketoacknowledgethefollowingpublicationsinvridch
thesepoemshaveappeared:5AM.:"Obituary"and"OffWithHerHead!";
Hubbub:"LimitedTimeOffer";JournaloftheAmericanMedicalAssociation:
"Abracadabra," "Cured." and "On Your Own Terms": Laurel Review
"The Spirit"; Margie: TheAmericanJournal ofPoetrf. "Finally, Completely,"
"ThePlanningSession,"and"Trouble";PoetryNorthwest:"ItHappens"and
"Mr. Malaprop'; Southern Humanities Review"Pasta"; Sou'WesUr."InSlow
Motion"; ThirdCoast:"IntheBlinkofanEye";FourCowmen:"Jilted";State
StrcaPoetrySheet:"Caution."
PIKST EDITION
Contents
Trouble • 7
Caution 8
•
Mr. Malaprop • q
Pasta • 10
TheCancerFish « it
Jilted • 12
OffWithHerHead! • 13
Obituary • 1$
ThePlanningSession » 16
Abracadabra • 17
WhatIt'sI.ikp . jR
OnYourOwnTerms • 19
IntheBlinkofanEye • 20
TimifpdTimeOffer . 2T
ItHappens - 22
Finally,Completely 23
InSlowMotion • 24
TheSpirit • 2$
Cured 26
-
Margaret
Copyrightedmaterial
Trouble
Howwethinkweabhorit
dossixigthestreetto
avoidmeetingiq>withit»
pretending—ifitknocks—
nottobehome,
goingoutofourwayto
disavowanyknowledge,
preferringtogoitalone.
Who,intiieirii£^mind,
wouldk)okforit,
askforit?Whowouldn'tdo
theirbesttostayoutofit?
Andyet,whoisitalwayswe
bringtothetable?
Who,besidesmisery,
providesbettercompany?
7
Copyrightedmaterial
Caution
Today,1gooutdetermined
tosteponaaackf
nm
to widiscissoiSy
to0088mywearyeyes,
becausenothinghasever
happened!And,oh Lord,
Iamstuck.So,whatever
I'vebeentoldnottodo,
I'mdoing:walchme
growhaironmypalms,
stuntmygrowth,
getzitsallovermyface.
Nomore, I say,playingitsafe!
Nomorethinkingtwiceaboutit!
NomorelookingbeforeIleap!
I'mhailingcanfiillofstrangers.
I'mtfaroiwinggoodmoney
aflerbad,coveting
myneighbor'swife,
takingtheLord'sname
invain.Goddammit!
Sowkatifmyplansdoifthatch?
SowhatifIcomeunj^ued?
Standbadd
I'mtakingmychances.
8
Mr. Malaprop
IknowwhenIorder
thevealcoupletforlunch
aUbetsareoC
I'vecaughtmyself
pickingsonnetoutofmynose,
witnessingepilepticcaesuras,
havingpeanutbutterandenjambment
sandwiches.Howmanytimes
canIsay
lamlamlam
beforethequatrainleavesthestation?
Wherearetheheroesandvillanelles?
Anyoneforagameoftroche?
Theworstthingis1rarelyrealize
I'vemadethesubstitution,
IiKdiowasachildprosody,
nowsufoingfromanapesticshock,
writingpoemswitfisomany
aberrantHons,roaring
inanaphylactictetrameter!
— ——
Pasta
HereIamatthedinnerpartyIdreaded,
takingtoomuchpastafromthebluecenunkbowl
itstidatothepastafolkandifaeie^snowaqr
Icansqpanteitintoreasonablysmallerpoiitkn^
inlineattfieservingtableinthisel—egant
house,asthemanrightbehindme ^aretired
brainresearcherandelectricalengineer
istalkingaboutneuronsandsynapses,
hovrmonkeyscanlearntocategorizelikehumans,
candistinguish,say,dogsandcats,andyoucan
seeitintheciiangeinIbeirbraincells,andhe^s
reachingnowfortheforkandifstoolateand
thepastaon myplateistwicetoomuchfortlielone
chickenlegI'vedredgedupfromthenextbowl,and
soIdredgeupyetanotherandthinkhow,sk>weater
tliatIam,I'llnevermakeappropriateprogresslater
vvlieneveryonedseisfinishedanddrinkingllieir
after-dinnercofoandteaandlistening
tothefiremantalkingaboutarthritisandarson,and
tlieastrophysicisttalkingabouthowneutrinosin
theiceinAntarcticaaresendingusbacktothe
originsoftheuniverseandthehostsIrishSetter
hashisnoseinmycrotchandhispawondietable
I7P7Vrs
areaskingmeaquestkmIcanTtanswer;
havingnotpaidappropriateattention,andunder
thedog'spawmypastalooksgrayandbrain-like
withitssmallcellsofparmesanandsalt,andall
eyesareonmenowandI'mthinking
—
in^diatcategory—fireorice astheworldends,
shoukilputdiedog,putdiepasta?
lO