"Seven Seconds" poem
Dec. 1st, 2004 11:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kleenexwomanSo I got published. We had a reading. There was banana bread. I put on jewelry and stood up and read and people clapped politely.
The poem I read:
Seven Seconds
According to Ripley’s “Believe It Or Not”
the average time it takes
to break a silence
is seven seconds.
After that the tension gets unbearable.
one
“I don’t understand the line about the cypress trees.”
thousand
trying to cross-reference everything I knew about the mythology of the cypress and what she had said in the poem about tress and what on earth a circle drawn with crayon could possibly have to do with it all
and
“It’s a metaphor. For life. I thought that was obvious.”
one
two
“It’s an IUD and it goes into your—”
thousand
sheer, stark disgust rolling in waves off the boys as they duck their heads and cover their ears to avoid the messy, squidgy details of what girls have to do with their private bits in order to avoid getting knocked up by them
and
“Can we please talk about sports now?”
two
three
“And that’s why I used to cut my arms.”
thousand
never knew that about her never wanted to know how depressed she was or how she wanted to kill herself and it’s all in the past—so what do I say, congratulate her on stopping?
and
“Oh. You never told me that before.”
three
four
“I think I’m in love with you.”
thousand
she thinks I’m kidding, I can tell by the way she’s smirking as I touch her hand and she turns her head to realize that I’m serious and I’m one inch from kissing her mouth—my first kiss—
and
"I don’t swing that way, babe. Sorry.”
four
five
“Why do you think you’re so much better than me?”
thousand
because I don’t throw paper in other people’s hair and scream that they have lice, because I don’t grab other people’s homework and shove it in the garbage can, because I don’t put ice cubes down other people’s shirts in math class
and
“I really don’t.”
five
six
“Thank you. I’ll tell her.”
thousand
not sure what it is, not sure at all but I know it can’t be good if she’s turning toward me with that look in her face like she knows I’m going to be crying in a minute and she’s already reaching for the Kleenex
and
“The tests came in…”
six
seven
“What if Superman ate the world?”
thousand
he’s asking me just to ask this stupid question, I can tell, to get into another pointless argument because there’s nothing else for him to do—but I’ve got work, I’ve got studying, I’ve got things to do
and
“He would get a massive case of indigestion.”
seven
The poem I read:
Seven Seconds
According to Ripley’s “Believe It Or Not”
the average time it takes
to break a silence
is seven seconds.
After that the tension gets unbearable.
one
“I don’t understand the line about the cypress trees.”
thousand
trying to cross-reference everything I knew about the mythology of the cypress and what she had said in the poem about tress and what on earth a circle drawn with crayon could possibly have to do with it all
and
“It’s a metaphor. For life. I thought that was obvious.”
one
two
“It’s an IUD and it goes into your—”
thousand
sheer, stark disgust rolling in waves off the boys as they duck their heads and cover their ears to avoid the messy, squidgy details of what girls have to do with their private bits in order to avoid getting knocked up by them
and
“Can we please talk about sports now?”
two
three
“And that’s why I used to cut my arms.”
thousand
never knew that about her never wanted to know how depressed she was or how she wanted to kill herself and it’s all in the past—so what do I say, congratulate her on stopping?
and
“Oh. You never told me that before.”
three
four
“I think I’m in love with you.”
thousand
she thinks I’m kidding, I can tell by the way she’s smirking as I touch her hand and she turns her head to realize that I’m serious and I’m one inch from kissing her mouth—my first kiss—
and
"I don’t swing that way, babe. Sorry.”
four
five
“Why do you think you’re so much better than me?”
thousand
because I don’t throw paper in other people’s hair and scream that they have lice, because I don’t grab other people’s homework and shove it in the garbage can, because I don’t put ice cubes down other people’s shirts in math class
and
“I really don’t.”
five
six
“Thank you. I’ll tell her.”
thousand
not sure what it is, not sure at all but I know it can’t be good if she’s turning toward me with that look in her face like she knows I’m going to be crying in a minute and she’s already reaching for the Kleenex
and
“The tests came in…”
six
seven
“What if Superman ate the world?”
thousand
he’s asking me just to ask this stupid question, I can tell, to get into another pointless argument because there’s nothing else for him to do—but I’ve got work, I’ve got studying, I’ve got things to do
and
“He would get a massive case of indigestion.”
seven
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-02 04:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-02 07:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-02 05:20 am (UTC)well, until now.
you are a writer. a poet.
that is what you are.
what you do for a living however, is entirely a different thing.
you are good. this is great. i really do love it. I've read it several times and each time i uncover a new level of meaning.
don't ask so many questions. there are no answers.
be what you are (a poet as i said) and things will work out. if you try to be something else- anything else- you'll never be happy.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-02 07:15 am (UTC)I like eet...
Date: 2004-12-02 08:00 am (UTC)Re: I like eet...
Date: 2004-12-02 04:02 pm (UTC)Re: I like eet...
Date: 2004-12-02 08:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-03 03:36 am (UTC)wow. that's really interesting. and different.
i like it. a lot.
_Andi
xoxo