WORDS SWIMMING UPSTREAM

Our first reading with Jon Woodward and Nick Flynn
was t-rific! Jon was nice enough to let us post these
three teensy little poems that he opened with
(or "that with which he opened"). All are untitled.

     
 

only half of the house
was haunted in the non
haunted half I found a
pantry with cans of corn
and pie filling and shelves

with honey and chocolate bars
and a fridge with leftover
macaroni casserole and chicken enchiladas
and a freezer with a
box of fudgesicles that were

made from all natural ingredients
on the box was a
picture of a penguin with
a red bowtie and a
top hat and a can

  
  ****  
 

only half of the house
was haunted in the non
haunted half I found a
bra draped over a closet
door it was a pink

bra I guess it also
could've been black and lacy
or that color they call
nude there was a lamp
with a bright green shade

he switch for that lamp
was on the other side
of the room next to
the switch for the ceiling
fan which had four blades

 
  ****  
 

only half of the house
was haunted at the edge
of the non haunted half
was a cold plaster wall
with a red door the

door was about eight feet
tall about four feet wide
maybe three inches thick but
that's just conjecture I don't
know how it sounded when

it was knocked on I
never knocked the red paint
was peeling off in several
places you could see all
the other colored layers beneath

  


Close this window to return.