Bit by a Bug

The apple store genius, Ed, makes it  happen in Albany.

Scents That Remain

Scents That Remain

Her room is empty.
But her scents remain.
They beckon
Memories,
That ply the pain to the edge
And wrench it out
To stand like gravestones
And glare in moonlight
On the face of he
Who stands, beguiled, in the doorway
Weeping
Retching
Spiraling in a sob.

by Jeanne Poland
8/21/11

On Reading a Book: Toe Jam

A poem about Reading Books:

Toe Jam

Hard to reach
Tiny fluffs
Grew below
As day
Sped by
Between my toes.

By candlelight
They sparkle-
Bespeaking
Magic.
Fairy feet
A-dancing
To the flutes
And violins.

Universal language
Made by tip-toe
Prancing lightly
On the bed
And floor.

Chapters of my day
Garnished unawares.
Toe Jam!
7’11

Sr Rose OP

Sister Rose OP

Sister Rose had acne:
Pink blotches on her cheeks.

And long black eye lashes
That fluttered when we slouched.

She smelled like baby powder
And ivory soap.

And wrung her hands
If we mumbled lame excuses.

Sighhhhhhhh!

Her fingers counted rosary beads
While we lined up.

Girls and boys separately!
In second grade.

I sat up straight for her
A statue girl with beating heart.

Jeanne Poland 7/19/11

Atop the Hill

Atop the hill where I reside at Hudson’s highest point, my townhouse spies.

Everything whistles, twists and flies:
Deer, and wind and goldfinch cries.

Vistas spread from mount to mount
While rivers’ waves too much to count

Rush on
Upon
The great beyond.

Jeanne Poland 7/20/11

Digging In The Dirt

Digging in the Dirt

Summer warms the soil;
Lets me carve the tingly dirt
“Til I’ve cleared out a driveway
For my matchbox cars.

Then milk cartons squeeze in
To garage those cars
Underground.

Tiny white pebbles line the drives
Snaking up the hill:
A tiny kingdom of rolling autos.

My lips putter and puff
The imaginary engines;
My throat squeals
The horn and brakes.
Making room for races, stunts and daring summer moves.

Jeanne Poland 7/28/11

The Smell of Sea Salt

The Smell of Sea Salt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You scuttled into my dream
Skidding on the surface
Claws on skin.
Pincers raised
I saw through eye-lids closed.

But you were not a foe.
Instead, a friend, with
Nutrients: proteins and carbohydrates
Vitamins: B12, riboflavin, niacin, B6, folate, K, A, C, D, and thiamin
Minerals: selenium, zinc, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and copper.

You shed your shell
For me. Soft you were,
Briefly.
So I could scoop you up
A delicacy.

Your wondrous cells
Would grow in me:
A treasure from the sea.

by Jeanne Poland 8/16/11

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