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      July 28, 2014Re: Re: Personal Ad #6 …Michael Schmeltzer

      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 #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.”

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