Verse Wisconsin 105| Brent Goodman

Two Poems

Enso

In
the
pines,
the

wind
rehearses
its
verses.

You,
there
too,
where

shadows
grow.

Voice-Over

If your legs are restless, can’t sleep, high triglycerides, ready to quit
smoking, if you’ve experienced a heart attack or stroke due
to a completely blocked artery, when your current anti-depressant
alone isn’t enough, ask your doctor if OmniPill XR is right for you.

Do not take OmniPill before texting your ex, auditioning for musicals,
Febrezing the curtains, gauging cold rain, or heeding practical advice.
Women over 40 planning to adopt tsunami-orphaned teens from tropical
nations, or regretful transgendered men considering the scalpel twice

should tell their physician before taking OmniPill. In rare cases, confusion,
infections, dry cough, synesthesia, inability to stand or sit, thoughts of gratitude
or intense and terrifying daydreams may occur. OmniPill is not for everyone.
Simple tests will check for liver damage. To avoid diarrhea take with food.

Crying during skydiving could be a sign of potentially serious complications.
If you experience an erection lasting longer than four hours, congratulations.

—Brent Goodman, Rhinelander, WI

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Brent Goodman

Brent Goodman is an internet creative professional living in Rhinelander, WI. He is the author of three poetry collections, most recently The Brother Swimming Beneath Me (2009 Black Lawrence Press). His work has appeared in Poetry, The Beloit Poetry Journal, The Cimarron Review, Puerto Del Sol, Diagram, Barn Owl Review, Zone 3, and elsewhere.

About "Enso": Like the single brushstroke circle one draws again and again to measure clarity of mind, I wondered how simply a sonnet could be traced. The result is a 14-word poem where every rhyme is internalized. I only wish I could have created the arc in one "sentence" rather than two, but the sonnet form loves its rooms, spaces between, some polarity for thought to leap over an absence.

About "Voice-Over": I've wanted to write a parody poem of prescription TV ads for a while, and when I finally sat down and start drafting, the sonnet form immediately came to mind. Not only would the traditional structure balance the freewheeling surrealism, but I find sonnets to be a comfortable stand-up vehicle where a performance voice channels easy. Some sonnets are spotlights, a bright circle for your song-and-dance routine. I have to admit the rim-shot "complications/congratulations" couplet came to me first. The rest of the poem was a matter of constructing those FDA-compliant clauses and terrifyingly-ridiculous cautionary statements, while, of course, claiming to cure all of your ills in one 60-second spot.