I’ve Come to Shoot Geese, See a Lady and Tell Lies About Myself

1.

As you say
I spit out half of the spit
And swallow the other half
Now do you want me to slam
The swing door open
And jump on you?

‘What do you want to eat?’
‘Why don’t you order?’
Hot milk . . .
Jack London, a book of poems.
I’m sorry, but your frown will fall flat!

Now the clouds turn brown
The way they look down on me
Will last until doomsday
Waves won’t come back
To the rain-trees that grow
In the cloud, so they say.
It was all my fault . . .
Speaking such words at fortyish
For me, for another person
For the people after us
I hiss in delight
Look how I whip my
Own temples with a feather.

2.

A meaningful thing is
Almost a thing of happiness.
I’ve just gone teetotal.

Sweetheart, my devoted wife,
If only you cared to study the dramatics
You’d see how one fourth of
My whole life’s been sacrificed for you only.
Now that’s an awful lot.

3.

Like mud clayed in the same pot
We mix and mingle, indistinguishably.
We poke each other’s wound with a pin
We stir up each other’s grievances
We share dukkha.
Through each other we seek
A death companion.
All this, because we happened to smooch
During those frigid moments.

4.

At least she knew how
To promote love to
A presentable level.
That’s why I keep
Seething about her.

5.

‘What a waster.’
‘What a vain pot at the
Altar of prickliness.’
‘You got married like a human.
Did you bother with
The burden of human marriage?’
Your grin stole my body
As if I were thirsting for you.
What an educated woman!
You’ve left me in the chair
Restless as a crow-eyed Jack.

6.

‘Click!’
A posh purse gets up and pays
‘Let’s go. Shall we?’
‘That’s all, isn’t it?’

7.

Men and wives, day and night
Firmer and firmer embraces
One needs to be
Far more imaginative.

8.

They will misunderstand
And I will wish I were as crooked
As that misunderstanding.
Now floating on a clothesline
The buoy of my great ego is
Hideously unshakable.

Excuse me,
Sorry If I’m late
I’ve been running some pointless errands.

I’VE COME TO SHOOT GEESE, SEE A LADY AND TELL LIES ABOUT MYSELF