Arizona (a love letter)

Author's note: This is from a poetry series I write and post on my author website blog, called "Notes on a Bar Napkin." For more info, go to http://jenlynnanderson.com/blog.

I will never forget
These sweet nights
These nights of rhythm
of rhythm and sway –
The music is under my skin
Under my skin and in
my bones –
The music is permanent
because of you.
You grasp a piece
of my heart
My heart and you never knew
you held it.
And this
This heart bursts
Under the haze
The cloying haze
of a desert summer
night
And I reach
I reach
So far
So hard
And never
Can never
Will never grasp
What this all meant.
But I love
I love
You
all the same.

ode to a stoppered gut

i will bathe you in all manners

of indulgence if you will agree

to end this interminable state

of affairs--double-stacked cheeseburgers,

extra onions & deep fried anything, the companion

milkshake. for breakfast, coffee &

spiced teas with lemon peel, scones filled

with berries & chocolate. thick artesian

breads stuffed with three different kinds of ham

& cheese & oil flaked with olives & capers. see

how my arteries tighten

for you, chips of plaque held close,

tacked to the walls

like duran duran posters. they glisten

with the sweat of last night's meringue

& a delicate sauce of sparkling

water & commodity syrup,

a bubbly reduction, the relief of knowing

air still finds passage somewhere.

Ode to a Desert Rainstorm

The desert heaves

a quiet, tingling breath 

Much like the anticipation 

of a lover's touch

The cumulonimbus fingers

poised above the rigid mountainous spine

twist and tease but yield little

to the frustrated, parched earth

Reprieve!  What I wouldn't give

for a deep lungful of air that didn't taste 

like baked clay

perspiration

suffocation

The sun sets in a brilliant bloody fashion

Spilling over the darkening bulbous

cloud banks

Release!  The water finally oozes free

leaving quarter-sized traces on the steaming pavement

Tension snaps

in the form of ragged streaks

that perform their terrifying dance from sky

to ground

Sharp invasive jabs

into the sand

I hear you can find glass scars in the desert

after a lightning strike

And then...

brief, so brief

the clouds move on

trapped in the funnel of the mountains

offering a grimy shell of respite

as again the thermometer slowly climbs. 

Ode to Unemployment

Unemployment oh how you doth protest
I have a love and hate relationship with you
On one hand
I have so much time
On the other
I have no money
I have no purpose
Should I...
Canoe?
Write?
Draw?
Make music?
Or should I just...
Watch another This American Life re-run?
Or Mad Men episode?
Have you discovered Hulu?
I hope not
Because it could be dangerous during your months of unemployment
I really should...
Send out yet another
Resume
Cover letter
Mission statement
Letter of purpose
Life statement
Contemplate my self worth
Let's not
I'd rather not
I'd rather join a gym
Take a YOGA class
Go for a run
Or maybe just a walk
Let's see how long before anyone notices
I'm not paying them back
I'm not paying my rent
Or bills
Or dropping off the face of the earth
Unemployment is fun
It's a quest for new opportunity
Or some other bullshit line
They are feeding you kids now
I'll shut up now
This is my ode to unemployment

Ode to Cheese

And what will I do?
My sometimes-yellow, sometimes-white shepherd
I am nothing without you
From an early childhood of string cheese
Trying to remain diligent and
Digest one string at a time
It would last half the stick
The rest devoured in two bites
You stuck with me when I was a teenager
Still so ignorant of your illuminating ways
I would cover toasted bread with American slices
Still waiting for those days to be introduced
Alex
This is Mr. and Mr. Provolone
Meet their kids
Colby Catalina
Fred Feta
Patsy Paneer

Of all
It might be you
Pepper Jack
We only knew each other a few years
Not enough time to develop that sustaining commitment
That refreshing aura all solid friendships provide
Forgive me
One day you will understand

Tell all the rest
Parmesan on pasta
Nacho cheese at the Dome
My beloved mozzarella sticks
I will miss them dearly
True friends you have all been

I walk now into the darkness
That is my future diet
I will mourn every morning
Part of me will die at sunset
Let this be my lament
Let it stand as a testament of loving
And letting go
This is not temporary
This is my final goodbye
The eulogy
Procession
Burial

This is my ode to tearful goodbyes
This is my ode to Cheese