Eye walked along that vacant beach
hand in hand with my friend Dan
who stooped to reach
a piece of glass
and wiped the sand
and made His Speech:
He spoke of edges
sharp and neat
smoothed by waves
of eon’s seas
& gave the glass
to me to put
inside the pocket
of His Jacket
worn by me
worn by me
This morning’s hazy sun
inspired me to bring out the glass table top
to clean it with fake Windex
and fit it onto my forest green
wrought iron table
left for the winter to rust
(slightly)
Eye had my breakfast here
sitting on a folding chair
from the basement
while my next door neighbour
put away his lobster traps
and the morning birds
serenaded us
Tonight Eye visited
Astro’s grave
in Port Clyde
and adjusted one rock
and stood and thought
of how Eye miss Him
yet remain unaffected
Eye am 62 now —
not a magic number
butt Eye have lived
30 years beyond My Mother’s Death
beyond The Shower of Silver Lights
and beyond, & with
M(Eye) Divine Attachment.
Eye have yet to be with Him
The Object of M(Eye) Love
in the confines of Our Privacy
though Publically Eye will go
heralding Our Union
as Eye see fit
and broadcasting Our Faith
not in Oneness
butt inside Our New Divinity:
The FEMALE Lord & Master
with Her unfailing Side Kick
Eye walked briskly past
The Security Desk
into Saltwire News
dressed in the orange dress
(last worn with Dr Blair)
and my white toeless pumps —
Nobody stopped me.
Eye found Haylea Dilnot-Reid’s office
whereupon she tried to hand me
$15 — a five & a ten Canadian
& Eye said, repeatedly, what’s this for
some kind of pay off?
She had a sink
inwhich Eye tried to throw the bills
butt they stuck to my right hand.
Eye deposited them anyway —
demanding the name of Saltwire’s director
Him/Her or It —
Eye found my gold hand bag riffled through
money wasn’t missing butt was crumpled.
Next Eye was in Donald Trump’s office
& tried to shake hands
with a black-haired guy named Howard Dunn
butt he took my whole hand
& squooshed it & Eye tried
to get my hand free
to shake his hand properly.
Donald Trump wondered
what that was all about.
(Eye had said Eye would remember
Howard Dunn’s name because
it was my brother’s)
Eye sat across from Mr Trump
at his desk
next to a snotty blonde woman
who was folding linen napkins
& complained that my lipstick
would get on the napkin
so Eye told her to fuck off —
that Eye would find another seat
which Eye did, in front of the window
on an old-fashioned upholstered high chair
which Eye practically laid on
thinking: oh this is nice, Im by the window
& asked Donald Trump
whom Eye addressed as Doug
& said, “Oh sorry, I got your name wrong “
Eye asked him if Howard Dunn
was related to Patt Dunn
Minister of Community, Culture, Tourism and Heritage
Donald asked another man
to look that up —
there were a lot of people in the office
& Eye asked , “What are we all doing here
having a party?”
Mrs Trump, dressed in a white pant suit
was there too
now sort of on top of me
as Eye asked her about a puzzle
she had made of her husband’s face
& repeatedly asked her
had she done the puzzle
had she put it together
& Eye was running my fingertips
over the puzzle
which was above me
with Mrs Trump on top of me
rocking back and forth
as if she was humping me.
The first place Eye went into
after You were extracted from my body
was the liquor store in Shelburne
in the company of my step sister
who was responsible for your removal —
she & the father of my other precious two
forced You from me
on March 27th 1997
by ultimatum.
Eye have since painted You
and written poems —
Eye wear a golden nugget ring
shaped like a heart
on my right hand
with which Eye transfer
Your Eternal Power
to myself
in an effort
to never grow old
Last night after
my televised interview
re: Pieces of STRATOSPHERIC UNIVERSE
Eye opened My Bedroom Window
for the first time this year
to listen to the peepers
as Eye slept
to be awakened
with bird song
this morning
Please read the edited version of my latest poem now titled Banana Split
Last night Eye went out
with a boisterous fellow
fifteen years My Junior —
Eye treated Him to dinner:
braised chicken with maple sauce
& cranberries —
Eye had calamari & spinach salad
then We split
Our Dessert —
He had One Cherry
Eye had Two.
Today Eye am truly alone
set against the bracing wind
hatless
out here on my wide open beach
wiping my nose
on a gloved hand
Joanna Gilman Hyde 