Noire
               after poem (of M) by Erika Howsare

her necklace colony bedrocks
her spoons nearly blind
polished in aprons of rain black ribbons
her Saturday sadness runs off the roof
of a handyman, hardware waves goodbye
his smell has increased his skin has turned blue
she's left no bridge she's left no dock
she rains an off month
needles nest paint sits her eyes
shadow decay and occupy soil she
boxes her weeping lids and arms twist-tie

Eggplant
                    after Jason Lynn

60,000 Christian soldiers frothing
too many lights
rocketry solved
she enjoys these pretty faces
a song for steel driving men

***

a Mae West defense with rectitude
the ashtrays talk of rude nostalgia
billowed with breath of their calls
how to treat a smiley swabbed waitress

***

a tyrant in public
feeds these motion pictures
with their teeth traditions of braking ribs
buying what is won in battles
fibula fibula keeps moving on

***

She will not dance on counters
or be a most sacred smile
a sycophant
green and feathered
a catatonia of accountants

***

she can no longer work
the labor of a waterhole overdrawn
a squirrel about food and dining
she sulks drums down the avenue

In the end it is the familiar that seeks us*

an electrical stove set fire
a night-light shaken and smashed
streaking chemicals on skin and eye

the familiar paralyses of company
the Tilt-a-Whirl always carnival present

each road in Shawano leads to marquee lights
activity blinders holiday

widely common possessions and brand names
only one gender besides my own
battery charge the same man one man love

*The title was taken from Rules of the House by Tsering Wangmo Dhompa.

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Julie Strand writes poetry that reflects family, place and other
atmospheres.  Most of her time is spent working and learning at
Woodland Pattern Book Center in Milwaukee, WI where she is the
Education Coordinator.