marigolds and motor mounts
janus,
hold up
prop open the screen
door and hold it
with a fan whir;
see out,
and all the way in again
scrub the doorframe with
a secret flask your mother had spilling
floor wash of moonlight
and creeksteps, cold, don’t forget to holler
for the dogs to come in and that the frogs’ swarpin
pondside has its own song to practice in the shower;
look, the seeds already sprung them
marigold promises on the yet unsettled
dirt, mound and tamped down
by shovels and a calloused hand
splintering hammers in the rain
all over car parts with names
and reasons i don’t understand
waiting for master’s knowing
reassembly.
8 thoughts on "marigolds and motor mounts"
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There are so many unique lines in this poem; my favorite is “the frogs’ swarpin pondside has its own song to practice in the shower.” So fun!
This has a way of spinning you, of keeping you a little off balance, that is really delightful!
I feel like I’m with a friend who is comfortable enough to be impish, who teases me just a little, who enjoys a surprise in life and an excitement with words.
Thank you both! This one was a kind of milestone to experience writing as I was letting myself be free and playful with the language even while the subject was the opposite in many ways. It’s been a long time since I’ve written creatively and I am really happy with how it turned out.
I haven’t heard otherwise so I’ll assume I have permission to comment. I really enjoyed the solid narrative throughout the imagery; i believe this is some of your best work
re-reading always makes me cry hot and cold tears
Man– hitting all the senses!
Love:
and creeksteps, cold, don’t forget to holler
for the dogs to come in and that the frogs’ swarpin
I love this poem’s lyricism! Such great lines and line breaks. This paints a picture of a place–a keeper!
“a secret flask your mother had spilling
floor wash of moonlight”
are my favorite lines. Thanks for sharing!