Helpmeet

Come on in, the water's fine.

A stitch in time saves nine.

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

He who hesitates is lost.

Are you calling the plumber, or shall I?

Call 1-800-WET FLOR.

Call upon God in times of crisis.

Bring a positive attitude.

Bring it, come at me, bro.

Bring in the left-hander.

Bring that up again and see what happens.

How long can you hold your breath?

How far is it to Katmandu?

How deep is your love?

If you laid the Bee Gees end to end, what good would it do?

Stay on point.

Stay on topic.

Stay. Sit. Roll over.

The water do wave, the water do roll.

Do the water a pour into this little bowl.

Climb up, climb out, do a cartwheel and a bow,

and see what I've got planned for you now.

______

for Sunday Muse #136.

Whistling Past The Graveyard

 I had hired him for an hour in the afternoon

though gigolos aren't my usual thing.

I'm an Egyptian tomb of a woman.

Scarabs whisper to me about daylight.

He was intense, dark, beautiful, 

with a nemes crown and a heqa scetpre.

I turned to dust in his Cyprinum-scented arms,

and wobbled, satisfied, into Duat.

________

for Flash 55 at my BFF's place. 

nemes crown

heqa sceptre

Duat--the Egyptian realm of the dead

Mixed Marriage

"We are not like other families,"

remarked my father

impaled sideways through his head by a stick,

feet dancing in thin air.

My mother wore black crepe

though her husband lived yet, suspended,

and I, the fruit of her womb, refused her invitation

to stay still beneath her fingers at the bottom of the bath.

We had a dog with a nervous condition

and a ghost in the basement by the water softener.

My father covered the story and his un-impaled eye,

seeing old sweethearts in his dreams.

Mother tried to move me into the basement incinerator,

but was prevented by the ghost. 

Daddy liked swing music and Dixieland jazz,

insisting the stick was a clarinet and the dog Benny Goodman,

And though not observant, he did walk on Saturdays.

__________

for Sunday Muse #134, where I am hosting.

You

 

I have a confession to make,

an obvious thing, like a cardinal perched on the back of a white Adirondack chair.

There's a hint of smoke on the air,

slight yet insistent as I still imagine your body to be,

not altered by time,

even as my boots kick leaves gone strangers to the trees.

I still think of you,

no matter the closing door of my words.

A neighbor's burn barrel glows in the dusk

giving only the notion of warmth, across the yards.

The truth is, I burn down for you sometimes, even now.

I blaze, bend, lose cohesion and fall to ash.

Something reminds me of your face,

your October hair,

your old desire,

and I fall,

red and solitary as a maple leaf,

silent but still in love with you.

______

for Sunday Muse #133.

Re: Staircase

 

STOP ALL WORK IMMEDIATELY PLEASE READ AND COMPLY

• City building permit not obtained/posted. 
• only union certified workmen may be hired for your project.
• project (decorative stairs) is not uniform. All risers must be level. Tripping hazards will be cited. 
• hand rails are required as per city safety regulations
• construction in unzoned areas must be approved by board
• all noxious plants, weeds, and unmown grasses must be removed. After six (6) months, the city will intervene and the cost added to your taxes
• proof of residence/authority to alter property must be presented. See Table B for necessary documents. 
• stairs to nowhere in a bunch of trees. really? 
• wtf is your problem?
• wtf is wrong with you?
• please correct these issues no later than ten (10) days after receipt of this notice. Failure to do so will result in fines, forfeiture of lands, and/or public hanging.
• Have a nice day!

CITY OF DUCKBURG DEPARTMENT OF DEEDS & RECORDS, COMPLIANCE DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCY DEPARTMENT.

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for Sunday Muse #132.