My Grandmother and a Baked Potato
At the deli, she wants to know
if they will wrap it up. I point to the foil,
trying not to make a face that mocks
the Great Depression mentality, the need
to know that half can be saved for later.
We have stood in the long line counting
our coins and time. We know rotisserie
chicken is nothing without two fresh sides
of our choice, that $8.99 is a cup of coffee
and a scone. Dinner for the whole family
suddenly seems so meaningful, a marketing
epiphany, a subliminal promise of eternal fullness.
Celebrating the Sun
The sun is an opiate, giant
poppy seed burning, breaking
down into liquid heat, lava pulled
through syringe. Shot
into ropey vein writhing under skin
that begs to be punctured. Sealed
without memory of pinhole prick.
The sun is a carousel horse, painted
gaudy colors, baring teeth, acid-trip
mane/tail a blur of distortion, surreal.
Misplaced animals predict irrelevant radius,
deafened/defeated by broken records warbling
across antiquated speakers. Chipped-iris
stare into endless revolution.
The sun is a lazy eye, refracted,
overcompensation of fire, crooked gaze,
monocled miracle of light. Proximal distance,
displaced. Warmth disbanded across tundra in failure.
Mystery of darkness revealed. One slow rotation,
overexposing whole continents.
A shift in perception that moves mountains.
My Middle Name is Broken
cliched, an on the floor disjointed
misrepresentation of who I am: variations
of light through fractured clouds, marbled sky,
threadbare thoughts and worn-in familiarity.
A kink in the chain of events that interrupts
domino effect. Each cause is equal to its reaction:
speeding car, deflated tire, roadside passivity
that looks a lot like feigned helplessness. Friendly
assistance always requires reciprocation.
April Salzano teaches college writing in Pennsylvania where she lives with her husband and two sons. She is currently working on a memoir on raising a child with autism and several collections of poetry. Her work has been twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize and has appeared in journals such as Convergence, Ascent Aspirations, The Camel Saloon, Centrifugal Eye, DeadSnakes, Visceral Uterus, Salome, Poetry Quarterly, Writing Tomorrow and Rattle. Her first chapbook, The Girl of My Dreams, is forthcoming in spring, 2015 from Dancing Girl Press. The author serves as co-editor of Kind of a Hurricane Press (www.kindofahurricanepress.com).
