RE: RE: PERSONAL AD #6 (AN EGG, DELICATE, REPAIRS THE DAYS NOW CRACKED)
When I first heard about the Twin Towers
I thought, “How do we move on from here?”
And the next day I cracked
and poured three eggs on a skillet,
made myself an omelet.
I bought
boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
I made stuffing.
I baked an apple pie
with an old family recipe,
sprinkling cinnamon
generously over the crust.
In my head I colored each day
like another barn
in a paint-by-numbers landscape.
Do you understand?
Let me put it this way; when we meet
I will fuck you
so moderately you will not want to call.
But you will.
Each number pressed will feel as rewarding
as stepping over a load
of dirty laundry. Do you know why?
Because we move on
by doing things that bored us before.
—from Rattle #42, Winter 2013
__________
Michael Schmeltzer: “Back about six months ago I read the poem ‘Personals’ by C.D. Wright. It was quirky, charming, and wooed me with the strength of its voice, its overall tone. I couldn’t help writing my own series of personal ads and responses. The whole experience got me thinking about persona, what we reveal and what we keep hidden, especially in the context of author and audience. Ultimately, I’m trying to untangle what it means to wear a mask, and what it means if that mask is in the likeness of our face.” (web)
