The Hawk Deck 11:10am
I am married to A Very Handsome Doctor
even if He does have some age on Him
It adds to His Allure of Talk
on Occam’s Razor
I live in A Beautiful House By The Sea
& have all the breakfast supplies I need
a basement warehouse of foodstuffs & toilet paper
I have My Mother’s Play House on an island
& My Beautiful Daughter with Her Hot Shot Boyfriend
— He can finance A Mansion at the age of nineteen —
They’re already looking at House Plans
The Hawk Deck 2:15pm
I have been oppressed
by My Free-wheeling Notion of God
I have overlooked
My Innate Intelligence
as It compares to “The Divine”
Yes I saw a Shower Of Lights
proving the existence of “God”
to Me
but I have been haunted still
by questions raised
from This Supreme Experience
The Hawk Deck 6:42pm
What is It that makes A Poem?
Is It the induction of waves
louder now than usual —
or is It a lost conversation
with a Siamese cat named Moulan
(Who seemed to be listening too)
or is It a reminder
when eating canned peaches
that I made a giant sculpture once
“Peaches & Blades”
going floor to ceiling
filling the lobby of Cooper Union’s 4th floor?
Is this A Poem?
The Hawk Living Room 4:35pm
I wrote a poem
in the 3rd grade
inspired by the movie
“Ring Of Bright Water”
which was the only movie
I had seen besides
“The Sound Of Music”
— The Poem hasn’t survived
but I remember being captivated
by The Sparkles In The Sun
to write My Last Line:
“for the beautiful scene had just begun”
The Tomato-coloured Couch 10:04am
My Husband feeds The Cats
— We have six —
& I clean out The Kitty Litter
every morning
while The Coffee’s on
I pan for Gold
in The Basement
& when I’m done
I play Aquarius
in My Nude Night Gown
emptying the dehumidifier
so Hunter’s 350 Folio Books
don’t get musty
I was That Baby
in My Bassinet
on a living room balcony
in a house called The Laundry
I watched The Ceiling
until it grew
into The Balcony Ceiling
here at The Hawk
where I lie back
in My Couch’s Recliner
to look up
& up again
under the cover
of My Grown Up Shelter
I don’t bake
I write poems
Do The People
in Martin’s No Frills Parking Lot
need to be reached?
–
No, They are happy
in Their Own Disgruntled Lives
I just saw
a Mother & Daughter
eating Cheese Doodles
on The Way
to Their Car
The Hawk Deck 11:35am
If I hear The Waves
Really Hear
They say, “It’s OK
It’s OK”
–
If I see The Ocean
Really See
It shows Me
Its Serenity
–
If I feel The Day
Really Feel
It tells Me
You Are Here
Really Here
& You Love It
On McNutt Island
I used to sit in our 3-holer privy
with My Mother
who often rested Her right elbow
on Her thigh
right hand under chin
Left Hand draped across
dangling Her Silver Nugget Ring
–
I assumed this same position today
with My Left Hand draped
across My Thighs
& I Was My Mother
I looked down to see My Mother’s Ring
& there were My Diamonds —
jolting Me
with crystallizing light
seared into My Brain
OK’d by My Mother
Joanna Gilman Hyde 