A SURVIVOR EXORCISES AN EVIL SPIRIT
Things with him were long since through.
But there was no mistaking who
the hulking creature represented
in my nightmare. First it bent
over me—monstrous, awful--
then it shrank, became a skull.
So I shoved it to the floor
and chased it through the bedroom door.
Screaming Go away! Get out!
while brandishing a baseball bat,
I bashed and bashed and bashed that head
until the ugly thing was dead.
I woke up scared. But not in pain.
I never dreamt of him again.
But there was no mistaking who
the hulking creature represented
in my nightmare. First it bent
over me—monstrous, awful--
then it shrank, became a skull.
So I shoved it to the floor
and chased it through the bedroom door.
Screaming Go away! Get out!
while brandishing a baseball bat,
I bashed and bashed and bashed that head
until the ugly thing was dead.
I woke up scared. But not in pain.
I never dreamt of him again.
LOCKDOWN
Shelter in place. Stay where you are.
Everything closed. Nothing running.
SWAT teams going door to door.
Kept inside while they keep hunting.
Everything closed. Nothing running.
Texting and e-mailing (I’m OK)
while police and FBI keep hunting.
Those men lived just a block away
from me. (I’m really not OK
with this.) In fear the city waits.
Sounds coming from a block away:
sirens, helicopters. Updates
with fear in voices while we wait.
Twitter feeds and Facebook posts.
Helicopters, sirens. Up-to-date
breaking news. The lives lost
posted: faces, names. It feeds
the teeming anger door-to-door.
Heart-breaking news of more lives lost.
Shelter in place. Stay where you are.
Everything closed. Nothing running.
SWAT teams going door to door.
Kept inside while they keep hunting.
Everything closed. Nothing running.
Texting and e-mailing (I’m OK)
while police and FBI keep hunting.
Those men lived just a block away
from me. (I’m really not OK
with this.) In fear the city waits.
Sounds coming from a block away:
sirens, helicopters. Updates
with fear in voices while we wait.
Twitter feeds and Facebook posts.
Helicopters, sirens. Up-to-date
breaking news. The lives lost
posted: faces, names. It feeds
the teeming anger door-to-door.
Heart-breaking news of more lives lost.
Shelter in place. Stay where you are.
CHARITY
A middle-aged man, black.
Wearing a Red Sox cap,
polo shirt, neat khakis.
Rattling coins in his cup
like a tambourine. Chants
(You got to have faith,
got to have confidence)
and strolls back & forth,
footsteps keeping time
near the grand fountain
(Penny, nickel, or a dime)
in the Boston Common.
A voice from among
the cluster of younger
guys gathered nearby
on a bench yells Hey!
Hey! I will bust yo’ ass!
The man says God bless
to those who give money
and to those without any.
Wearing a Red Sox cap,
polo shirt, neat khakis.
Rattling coins in his cup
like a tambourine. Chants
(You got to have faith,
got to have confidence)
and strolls back & forth,
footsteps keeping time
near the grand fountain
(Penny, nickel, or a dime)
in the Boston Common.
A voice from among
the cluster of younger
guys gathered nearby
on a bench yells Hey!
Hey! I will bust yo’ ass!
The man says God bless
to those who give money
and to those without any.
Header art by T. Guzzio.
CONNECT WITH LISA:
Photo by Allana Taranto
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Lisa DeSiro's poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Aethlon, Commonthought, Mezzo Cammin, Prodigal’s Chair, Rattle (online), Sixfold, The Healing Muse, and Thirty Days: The Best of the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project’s First Year. Poems of hers can be heard in musical settings on the albums Currents and Living in Light. Along with her MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University, she has degrees from Binghamton University, Boston Conservatory, and Longy School of Music. She is employed as Production & Editorial Assistant for C.P.E. Bach: The Complete Works, and she is also an accomplished pianist. You can read more about her at https://thepoetpianist.com/.
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