She massaged her kale in the gray dawn, then she massaged her gums, put on a bright smile and wore it downtown while the kale, with heirloom tomatoes and sesame oil, chilled in the fridge comfort zone. She got glazed with rainwater because she didn’t believe in umbrellas because of slave labor, even though she hadn’t bothered to fact-check her old umbrella. The gray sky broke like a cage-free chicken’s egg and then the Sun shone on her shiny hair as it shines on both the ever-polished milieu and the wise hobo. And what rough beast, rush hour come round at last, gropes toward Bed, Bath, and Beyond for the light? After work, a candle flickers, a tremolo of emotions rushes through her poised, yoga-arched body. Moonlight filtering through the window, the TV flickers, news casting slick jokes in a wheel of fortune election that never ends. Drifting into sleep, she remembers that kale grows from the soil some call Grandmother Earth. NOTES: *”The Nirvana Blues” (1981) is the title of a novel by John Nichols which is part of his New Mexico Trilogy. “glazed with rain / water” is from William Carlos Williams’ poem “The Red Wheelbarrow”. “And what rough beast...” two lines are a riff on the last two lines of William Butler Yeats’ poem “The Second Coming”. Mankh (Walter E. Harris III) is an essayist and resident poet on Axis of Logic. In addition to his work as a writer, he is a small press publisher and Turtle Islander. His recent book is “Drive-thru Theofascism & The Hero's Journey” and the newest is “Dear_______, poem-letters to friends and enemies.” You can contact him via his literary website. READ MORE POETRY AND ESSAYS BY MANKH ON AXIS OF LOGIC © Copyright 2015 by AxisofLogic.com This material is available for republication as long as reprints include verbatim copy of the article in its entirety, respecting its integrity. Reprints must cite the author and Axis of Logic as the original source including a "live link" to the article. Thank you! |