by Grace Cavalieri

Even If You Could Lick All The Words,
The Ink Will Never Fade
…John Yau

If you can write one good poem,
one you like, well
you can put any two things together and it’ll work

Two bad people can make a good marriage …
You can wear a backless dress to church
and sit in the front pew,

or plant two pounds of peas
in a one acre plot and not worry.

You can tell your sister to go marry the bum
You have better things to do.

You have written something on your desk that’ll stay there.

From Cuffed Frays (The Argonne House Press, c2001)