By Association

In fairy stories

true names have power.

I discover them

on crumpled paper between

the bras and cereal,

forgotten on the floor.

“Chili powder, diapers, tampons,”

on the back of a receipt;

or, “fixadent, turnips, beer,”

in meticulous cursive

on pink paper.

Sustenance

and sanitation;

turnips and toilet paper,

greeting cards and waste baskets.

These things

shape us.

Thanks

Dad loaned me his phone once,

and I changed the voice-mail message.

Then, when I gave it back,

he never changed it back.

I would call him and get

myself.

Now all I can call on

to get him

is me,

and when I open my mouth

and his words fall out

I am thankful.

Note: The OSI topic was change but I didn't really look at the page close and thought it was thanks and so this isn't really an OSI poem, but it's what I wrote this week anyway.

All Things Being Unequal

Does the flower ever wish
that the sunlight
needed it?

OSI: Knight

Dear Prince:

Rescuing is all well and good,
but I didn't sign up
for a lifetime of armor polishing.
I've run off with a peasant
who can cook
and doesn't have a palace
to dust.

Have a happy ever after,

Your Princess

More OSI: Here

OSI: Sapid

Knowledge

Long ago I hefted
the cool, pale fruit
and pressed my thumb
to yielding flesh
beneath translucent, tender skin.
My sharp incisors piercing
yielded fountains
of sapid, sweet and sour juice.
The flesh-
earthy, grainy texture.
Satin and burlap
all in one;
One taste
never undone.
Before was innocence,
they say,
but two-dimensional
forever
is nothing
to now
in the round.

more OSI: HERE

You Tube In Box

I get one of these messages regularly. It's sort of the viagra spam of You Tube, but this one was more entertaining than they generally are so I thought I'd share with you. By the way, if you only know me here then you might want to see my videos. I mean, you might not too... but you can find me on You Tube as RandomerThanAverage.

i thought your video was great

Hello!
How are you man?
who is your life?
Your channel is great
always sit and wait for something new!
The channel is very interesting X
I want to tell you a great way to be sunscribed
trying to get on www.subs4youtu.be
The site is very good!
I informed you if you did!
We'll hear!
Allen!

Meanwhile, who is your life?

We'll hear,

Marilyn

OSI: Fool's Paradise

Once upon a time,

the food was poetry.

The chili was thick gravy,

spread like summer on

my tongue.

The tortillas were pressed

by the hands of a woman

that knew what it was

to love.

I sat next to a man

I had torn in two,

and asked who would get the

table and the chairs.

Now, the tortillas are fakes

that come wrapped in foil.

The chili is salsa

from a jar.

The busboy presses his hands

to his face.

I sit across from a man

who holds my hand

when I tell him

how I miss my father.

He holds my hand

and all the conversational

pauses

are just places

for my heart

to stop.

More OSI: HERE