Two Poems
Double Abecedarian: Princess and the Pea
And their heads will grow peach fuzz.
Baldness answers questions asked by
chemo-therapeutic dosage on max
dripped into veins that now
encase the cure. Swinging bagged I.V.
from gun metal stand shoots into you
gently, blowing away any cells that
have potential of multiplying the mess
inside your previously healthy stupor
just turned war zone of Iraq.
Keep slogging through it. Spirits up.
Laugh when you can. Cry when you want to.
Must keep loose clothing on,
no fabric or elastic pressure—it adds to the tedium
of pain. Be willing to be well.
“Princess and the pea sized tumor from the storybook,”
quotes Dr. God from his clinic resembling the Taj.
Radiation ready. Gowns donned. Machine set to HI.
Scampering behind steel doors, the tech
takes a break while the waves are slapping
ugliness onto and off of
various diseased sites mapped out by one
Wonder-man tattoo artist physician and
x-ray machine assistants. Strength times 1000 lighters of Bic.
Your body is burning now, but after the scorch and jab
zip-a-dee-doo-da, there will not be one cancer iota.
Hotel Appolinaris
to the artwork of Joseph Cornell
What is Appolinaris?
A fallen heiress?
A pole in Aries?
A poll on airiness?A fallen heiress
can still learn to fly;
a poll on airiness
revealed two hidden wings.Can learning to fly
appeal to a boxed swan
revealing two hidden wings
and angelic room service?Appealing to a boxed swan,
the cupid offers love to go
and angelic room service
with a shy smile.The cupid offers love to go
as butterflies are confined
with a shy smile
turning keys that will float you away.As butterflies are confined
and fallen heiresses become buoyant
will turning keys float you away?
What is Appolinaris?
—Susan Vespoli, Prescott, AZ
