Silly love songs

Literary Review, Spring, 2004 by Rodney Wittwer

Silly Love Songs

Kiss

"Well of course" she says "of course
your missives gusted like tumble weeds
across the ghost town of my life,
you fucking slob, you big fat nerve."
Then she sweetly cuts a melon down
the middle & takes the dripping red
chunks out to the garden, the one
full of food, flowers & guests.

No

"Riding shotgun down the avalanche"--Shawn Colvin

"Faster" she kept saying, "much farther
& faster." The sunflower soared & cast
no shadow. The anomaly of the anemone
that never came up. "More" she would
chant, like a warrior, like a pony
given the green light to a cloven
foot, tail forked & spinning
the wigged air. "Harder" she
spat, than lava much later,
the impenetrable core of anything
cooled beyond cold. "Tastier" she kept
saying, "much further & tastier."

Yes

"Yes" he says "yes" &
places a pearl on his tongue
& slowly closes his lips
while a shadow rubs
the one good eye he's allowed
& as the light
swinging above the table stops
point blank above him
he says "fake, fake"
& blows it
out.

The Ties That Blind

I loved him like a brother
& let him place the gun
in my mouth
a sign of trust
the family doctor's
tongue depressor
a mother's
all day sucker
a propeller
hovering
just that tiny flick
above the heart.