I’m not saying where
but two undergrads died
of alcohol poisoning,
a fraternity went into
the porno business,
and riots broke out
at Fifth and Ivy.
A midge drowned in my eye,
its body flown into me.
A gelatinous wreck
on a saline sea.
Waves of schnapps slosh
in my mother soul
and I cry mid-sentence.
A smutty thrust of genitals
intrudes on my grocery list
and I forget to buy milk.
I see police with paintball guns.
My arms sting, my ears ring.
There, there. A calm
grabs me by the sleeve.
I kneel down for a brunch with the bugs
where the sky has been sewing
cafe curtains trimmed
with rickrack. A fluffy
caterpillar drops into my salad,
ravenous for the lettuce.
Cathryn Shea
Cathryn Shea’s poetry has recently appeared in After the Pause, Permafrost, Rust + Moth, Tinderbox, and elsewhere. Cathryn’s second chapbook, It’s Raining Lullabies, is forthcoming from Dancing Girl Press in 2017. She has poems in 2016 anthologies, “Luminous Echos: A Poetry Anthology” by Into The Void and “The New English Verse” by Cyberwit. In 2004, she received the Marjorie J. Wilson Award for Poetry from MARGIE. Cathryn serves on the editorial staff for Marin Poetry Center. Cathryn has worked in technical publishing for many years. She lives in Fairfax, CA.
Latest posts by Cathryn Shea (see all)
- The Insect Effect and My Alma Mater - March 1, 2017
