SAD SONG
After the eighth cup of cheap coffee,
you sit with me at the kitchen table and I
never know what to say. Because in daylight,
I am frightened, the way the
sun catches your face making your eyes
seem lighter
moon jellyfish
or Glaucus atlanticus—
strange blue dragons
So here is what I should have said
yesterday: mayflies have the shortest lifespan
of any organism but still
they keep finding each other. The Tiger
Pistol Shrimp makes
a shrill sad song
in order to stun its prey.
These are facts
you mouthy sonofabitch
shut up and let me love you
—from Rattle #61, Fall 2018
__________
Heather Bell: “It’s a funny thing watching a decade long marriage fall apart. We all do what we can. We find comfort where we can. These poems are for Dan, thanks for holding your arms out when I was barreling toward the sun. Love poems were impossible until I met you.” (web)
