by Lisa Vihos
I bellied up
to that hard place
where you belly up
when you carry
the whole weight
of every sad, sick
thing that ever
happened to you
and ask to have it
rinsed off
in fire water
moonshine
one fifty proof something or other
I really don’t care what; just anything
to cauterize the
gaping wound
ripped open
every time
I have to see you
and think about
how we once were
and how we are
not now.
Perhaps it is my imagination but it seems that over the last year or so there has been an increase in poems written about strong reactions to broken relationships. This poem strikes me as one of the better ones in this growing group in that it avoids the maudlin. What's interesting, though, is that the writers of these poems seem to be primarily women. Apparently men are more apt to move on to seek the same thing elsewhere. Human nature will never change. I hope it is not chauvinist of me to suggest that the power to modify human nature in relationships will always lie with women. They have the prize.
ReplyDelete...or men are more apt to keep their mouths shut about it.
ReplyDeleteWhatever. Fine, strong poem.
ReplyDelete