Coming Clean:
prelude
I’m like a drum beaten to make peace on the way back
“Hear the Mother” Tlingit Songs
Stephen Berg
Coming clean means:
coming clean means seeing
between the lathe slats of your eyes
and diving in head first
knowing your own mother’s backside
rides high in the other man’s
hands two people pushing through
the ceiling light the key’s
in the ignition it’s flies under
the plastic plate it’s szzzz
of my father’s cigarette in his tenth
can of beer waiting
for her to get home it’s his see this
see this here you see this
and he turns to walk back inside
or not walk just slide just
glide hot and alive the way pistons
glide like all six or eight of them
knocking in the engine going oil-starved hot
the exhaust the cough
the spit and kick and riving off
and what’s to pick up what’s to brush
off that naked bum where a
small as you want stone
falls and leaves a dimple a blood
red dimple I’ll keep
coming back to in the bulb of the bathroom
vanity after he’s gone
to bed she’s heavy as her smell
and all that brought her home
she’s leaning late against the sink
with me we’re dancing and Summer’s
Eve slides up and down her leg
and soon the just today fresh sheets
in my bed and tomorrow sweet
tea, a splash of cream
No comments:
Post a Comment