Laura Lynn Brown
Ship of ToolsTrain of spoons,
speedboat of forks, forklift of knives, kayak of whisks, wheelchair of tongs, toboggan of ladles, lifeboat of graters, golf cart of corkscrews, Conestoga of peelers, paddlewheeler of mashers, magic carpet of mortars, motor home of pestles, pedal boat of scoops, school bus of spatulas, spaceship of basters, bathysphere of cleavers, convertible of zesters, Zamboni of timers. [Note: First line borrowed from Dana Levin's poem, "My Sentence"] Physics for Poets,
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Feeding Time
The baby doesn’t want strained peas
or cottage cheese.
His lips won’t part
for apple tart.
He can’t be coaxed to eat his fish.
He hurls the dish
against the wall
and starts to squall.
But when the piece of buttered bread
he spurned as dead
has hit the floor--
he points, asks “More?”
[Note: the form of this poem is a “minute,” a 60-syllable poem with a specific syllable-per-line count and rhyme scheme. It was invented by Verna Lee Hinegardner, former Arkansas poet laureate.]
or cottage cheese.
His lips won’t part
for apple tart.
He can’t be coaxed to eat his fish.
He hurls the dish
against the wall
and starts to squall.
But when the piece of buttered bread
he spurned as dead
has hit the floor--
he points, asks “More?”
[Note: the form of this poem is a “minute,” a 60-syllable poem with a specific syllable-per-line count and rhyme scheme. It was invented by Verna Lee Hinegardner, former Arkansas poet laureate.]
Aim
There are times one wants
to be in the crosshairs:
halftime, cheerleaders
with the T-shirt bazooka;
parade, near the curb
where the candy's flung;
catcher's mitt, safe
or out depending
on a teammate's hurl.
Yours is an arrow
in archery practice,
touching the heart
of a padded target.
It's sight, accuracy,
timing, skill;
never wound
or kill.
to be in the crosshairs:
halftime, cheerleaders
with the T-shirt bazooka;
parade, near the curb
where the candy's flung;
catcher's mitt, safe
or out depending
on a teammate's hurl.
Yours is an arrow
in archery practice,
touching the heart
of a padded target.
It's sight, accuracy,
timing, skill;
never wound
or kill.
Food Service
The overseer of meats
at Mehlman's Cafeteria
would plate a slice of meatloaf
when he saw my brother in line.
The morning window woman
at Community Bakery
knows without asking: cinnamon
doughnut, coffee with cream.
When the angry woman in the wheelchair
sends back her eggs on Christmas Eve,
the night manager who remembers
I had a blueberry waffle last time
cracks two in a bowl, takes
the whisk from the cook
and beats 'til fluffy, teaching,
"This is how she likes them."
at Mehlman's Cafeteria
would plate a slice of meatloaf
when he saw my brother in line.
The morning window woman
at Community Bakery
knows without asking: cinnamon
doughnut, coffee with cream.
When the angry woman in the wheelchair
sends back her eggs on Christmas Eve,
the night manager who remembers
I had a blueberry waffle last time
cracks two in a bowl, takes
the whisk from the cook
and beats 'til fluffy, teaching,
"This is how she likes them."
The Hard Way
If I were
one foot small
I would use
those bolts like
a climbing wall
inch myself up
grasp the rope
sound the bell
’til one inside
showed up to
bear me through
that door that
was clearly open
the whole time
one foot small
I would use
those bolts like
a climbing wall
inch myself up
grasp the rope
sound the bell
’til one inside
showed up to
bear me through
that door that
was clearly open
the whole time