MePoet

MePoet self-portrait

Bio: MePoet made his fortune in the early eighties selling one-man portable bomb shelters during Reagan's cold war regime.  As an independently wealthy artist, he devotes his days to poetry and his nights to "Precious Moments" paint-by-number figurines.  MePoet's first chapbook Me First Words is available through his web site www.MePoet.com where you can also find a scrumptious recipe for tofu carrot salad with garlic cilantro dressing.


If That Melanoma Don't Kill Ya

I shortcut
the free hour
through
the cemetery

it's hot
off with the shirt

all for the pleasure
of my skin
yet it complains
"a lifetime of sun
at this lunch break rate
could never be enough"

everyone agrees

~ ~ ~


Open Wide and Say Whatever Comes Out

"everything looks good in there"
he gleams
the hard work already done
by me
the twice daily brushings
the nightly flossings
the eating of apples
and not of Snickers bars
except occasionally
when I come to my senses

and the rotating hygienist
the metal scraping
the rinsing suction
the sandy polishing
the minty small talk
I've noticed
she's pretty
and always engaged

"do you clench your teeth when you sleep
because I see some wear on those molars"
he grinds the question
to a smile
every time
as if it's my first time
in his hotseat
I guess I didn't make an impression
six months ago
so many routine teeth
between us

I grin and bear him the same answer
"I can't be sure
but no one who has ever slept with me
has mentioned it"

and he nods
like before
"let's keep an eye on it"

but I'm not listening
too busy with the pasty grit
left in my mouth
and everyone I've ever slept with

~ ~ ~


What is it, Boy?

when the dog wants to take a walk
he brings me his leash
only word for freedom

this long attachment
people see as silly
but they walk away
from place to place
and person to person
and never once check their necks

~ ~ ~

© 2002 MePoet