Naomi Buck Palagi (Indiana, USA): Four Poems
WE ALL FALL DOWN
Midnight, Mississippi
hwy 49 going south
or north sets a ole house
is / was
walls fell down
one by one or all at once but
the roof
took off somewheres
just a platform a things
easy overstuffed maroon chair ridiculous
skinny bed in the corner an dull
bench
pull cattycorner to the ole upright
ole piano
beyond it you see the sky
like you do in the delta
road curves gentle there
and not but a single tree
never did see it in the moonlight
FLIGHT
bound
and determined to travel
bound her tresses, her breasts
bound to marry
bound books
bound, like a yellow hound, to her lover great leaps
and bounds such progress
was bound to change her
bound by oath, by ropes, by duty
with love
unbind
his feet
which have fallen to her she is bound
to do what she can goodwill abounds it
binds her
to this earth this rope this meaty
universe on a string
she is bound and determined
to
travel
ODE TO OH TINA
okay, to start with, we don’t need
another hero. we don’t need to know the way
home. all we want, all we want…
her arms
her skin
that dress all we want is tina, oh that passion
voice of husky love and grit did i mention
we don’t need all we want is
rain
on the window pane
i’m private
look at the muscle baring her arms, her teeth all we need
all we want
that hero
private home dancing
on the window
pain
how can we
thunder
thunder dome and window pane
tell me do you remember all that
grit and salt the way home slit into dress
bare teeth bared arms and all all we want is
open
and thundered
TANTRUM WORDS AIN’T NUTHIN
`at las’ silver roof tantrum she thowed ain’t nuthin
ain’t nuthin but nuthin
break `at vacant holler a hers
smother damn pilla’ break `at holler
she a tantrum i ain’ aimin a fix
damn roof ain’t broke ain’t nuthin i ain’t aimin at
ain’t nuthin but nuthin
silver voice holler til she fixed she ain’t aimin a vacate
she a vagrant but ain’t nuthin silver
done tole her tantrum ain’t nuthin
ain’t no roof o’ her head ain’t no atlas tell her future ain’t no silver
for sale just a pilla settin in `at vacant head
break it, baby, holler `at tantrum go stuff `at extry pilla
best `at roof be vacant next time she fixin a holler
best `at atlas be ready an silver
tantrum ain’t nuthin but a roof ready a break
© Naomi Buck Palagi 2008
Midnight, Mississippi
hwy 49 going south
or north sets a ole house
is / was
walls fell down
one by one or all at once but
the roof
took off somewheres
just a platform a things
easy overstuffed maroon chair ridiculous
skinny bed in the corner an dull
bench
pull cattycorner to the ole upright
ole piano
beyond it you see the sky
like you do in the delta
road curves gentle there
and not but a single tree
never did see it in the moonlight
FLIGHT
bound
and determined to travel
bound her tresses, her breasts
bound to marry
bound books
bound, like a yellow hound, to her lover great leaps
and bounds such progress
was bound to change her
bound by oath, by ropes, by duty
with love
unbind
his feet
which have fallen to her she is bound
to do what she can goodwill abounds it
binds her
to this earth this rope this meaty
universe on a string
she is bound and determined
to
travel
ODE TO OH TINA
okay, to start with, we don’t need
another hero. we don’t need to know the way
home. all we want, all we want…
her arms
her skin
that dress all we want is tina, oh that passion
voice of husky love and grit did i mention
we don’t need all we want is
rain
on the window pane
i’m private
look at the muscle baring her arms, her teeth all we need
all we want
that hero
private home dancing
on the window
pain
how can we
thunder
thunder dome and window pane
tell me do you remember all that
grit and salt the way home slit into dress
bare teeth bared arms and all all we want is
open
and thundered
TANTRUM WORDS AIN’T NUTHIN
`at las’ silver roof tantrum she thowed ain’t nuthin
ain’t nuthin but nuthin
break `at vacant holler a hers
smother damn pilla’ break `at holler
she a tantrum i ain’ aimin a fix
damn roof ain’t broke ain’t nuthin i ain’t aimin at
ain’t nuthin but nuthin
silver voice holler til she fixed she ain’t aimin a vacate
she a vagrant but ain’t nuthin silver
done tole her tantrum ain’t nuthin
ain’t no roof o’ her head ain’t no atlas tell her future ain’t no silver
for sale just a pilla settin in `at vacant head
break it, baby, holler `at tantrum go stuff `at extry pilla
best `at roof be vacant next time she fixin a holler
best `at atlas be ready an silver
tantrum ain’t nuthin but a roof ready a break
© Naomi Buck Palagi 2008
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