I Gave You What You Asked For

 

I gave you what you asked for--

a funny book which I know now

you surely never read.

I gave you what you asked for--

someone you could maneuver into

saying, "I thee wed."

I gave you what you asked for--

someone to tie the tourniquet

every time you bled.

I gave you what you asked for--

a foil to be the fodder for

the monsters in your head.

I gave you what you asked for--

seven years of love alive and

six more stood up dead.

I gave you what you asked for--

my heart's writing you called "nice."

That's when I gave you all my scorn

and back your rotten rice.

________

for What's Going On?--"Home Made"

Music: Sara Bareilles Wicked Love

Pool Party

Olympic freestyle w/ jungle animals was an instant hit.

The world's top swimmers, driven by ambition and terror, amused the crowd with feats of athletic derring-do.

Behold the gentle panda

blocking lane three

and the gnu in two

basking elegantly.

It was indeed unfortunate about the hungry tigers

diving in and disturbing the plastic markers.

Next, we offer soccer w/ lion pride.

Test audiences loved it, sponsorships galore!

That's tonight at ten.

Gymnastics w/ wolverines tomorrow at four.

______

for Sunday Muse #144

Ceremony

The sea offered a knife for ceremony
carried on the tide to my feet.

At first, I refused. 
At first, I sheathed my face and pretended spiritual palsy.

The sea spoke, insistent, saying, "The world is empty.
Your body is dark earth, a mother for every seed."

In those days, electrical storms were continuous.
The beach was strewn, as all beaches were, with fragmented glass.

"Must every edge open a new mouth
before any creature can sing?" I asked.

Wearily, I took up the knife for ceremony.
My blood became cities. I became the sea as it became me.

Find fools, we urged ourselves.
Offer ceremony.
Insist, until the sky calms, 
and if the world then writhes, 

Blame the doppelganger god who sent us in the first place.
_______

for Play It Again at Real Toads. I used grapeling's Pablo Neruda word list.

Damned Foolishness In The Balkans

The Balkans may not be worth the bones
of a single Pomeranian grenadier, but

cats are not much for Pomeranians anyway.

They do not care for your cause,
they do not show up to vote.
They do not seize the means of production
and do not care about class struggle, because

they know themselves superior.

Cats do not care about damned foolishness in the Balkans,
nor your schedule 
nor your needs.

They live by their own (laser) lights,
but if you want to storm the cannery in Belgrade,
summon them by electric opener and they'll
talk turkey (or tuna) but marching in formation is off the table 

(along with your papers and everything else)
from the start.
______

for Sunday Muse #65.

Source material is two quotes by Otto von Bismarck, as follows:

"The Balkans aren't worth the bones of a single Pomeranian grenadier."

and

"If there is ever another war in Europe, it will be because of some damn foolish thing in the Balkans."