POEMS BY JENNIFER BETZ
These poems
were written by
a ghost
HALE-BOPP AND THE PERSEIDS
1993.
You were trapped again.
Not allowed to leave your yard after dark.
A mere three acres of goldenrod and thistles
partitioned the two of us.
Graham Bell’s fiber optic miracle
united us.
I flopped back into the thick August grass
and realized that I crushed
the exquisite crown of Queen Anne’s Lace
you wove for me that afternoon.
A poker fresh out of the forge
in my chest.
But the sky.
I dissolved
into the Dark Byzantium chiffon.
Like when the ocean
seizes your lungs
and carries you.
Churning, rolling,
breathing into the
horizon beyond
vision.
Becky.
That bitch.
Perfect body.
Smelled like goddamned cookies.
Why did you love her and not me?
Silence.
Your tender voice murmured
The Beat Goes On.
Puck and Bottom conspired
to dance upon our eyelids, beckoning them
open at the same time.
White-hot gold glittered
and flitted across the sky.
Giddy whispers echoed across the meadow.
Our eyes were fixed on the celestial ballet,
and terra firma braced our backs,
as we drifted together
into the dawn.
ON SURVIVING THE WILDERNESS
Make sure you pack light. No one likes to travel with
too much baggage and
really, journeys are better with
a sense of humor.
But, do cram that little black dress into your bag
just in case. You know,
the one I got you for your first
job interview. Cut low enough to show some cleavage, not so low as to end up with a nip slip serving coffee.
You didn’t get the job.
Keep in mind that you can survive for quite some time without food, less time without water, and almost no time
without air.
For God’s sake
remember to breathe.
Sometimes, it will be simple. Inhale then exhale.
Others, a feat nothing short
of parting the Red Sea.
Beware of sharks.
Make sure you wear good shoes.
A reputable, solid tread is essential to avoiding dangerous slippages while out on the trail.
Do pack the stilettos though, just in case. They match the dress and you never know who you will run into in the forest.
Maybe a queen.
If you take a tumble (and even the most experienced wayfarers do), don’t rush to stand. First, tend to any injuries you may have inherited from the plunge.
Unless, of course, you were wearing the stilettos or being chased by a bear. Then, get your ass off the ground and run! Worry about the pain later.
While we are on the subject of bears, do not allow one to consume you. Stand tall, wave your arms, puff out your chest, so that he thinks you are bigger, meaner, stronger than him. If that doesn’t work, don the jade and teal flannel shirt you borrowed for your first dance and play dead. He will eventually lose interest in your limp, unresponsive
body, and move on
to find a more provocative morsel.
Don’t be offended by this. It’s not you, it’s him.
Sunscreen is over-rated. Sure,
you may get skin cancer.
But depression is worse.
Leonardo DiCaprio said,
“Never refuse an invitation.”.
If you run into him, pass along an open one from me.
Muhammad Ali, “It isn’t
the mountain ahead that
will wear you out; it’s
the pebble in your shoe,” apparently never grappled his way to any peaks in the Gravelly Range.
It’s the pebbles and
the mountain.
God said, “Don’t let the sun
go down on your wrath.”.
I’m not sure if that was before
or after he sent his chosen people quail, then killed them while the meat was still
in their teeth.
Definitely before
the Trail of Tears.
Christ. 45 is still in office after nearly a year.
Know that though you can spare
a hand, eyeball, even kidney, you only have one heart and one mind. Careful not to lose those.
Life is no good without them.
Don’t, however, fret over
your soul.
You can pull a new one from the ozone any time.