[194 words]
I’ve been told on more than a few occasions
By mostly well intentioned folks
To write some poems in which the I is not present
Or in other words, they tell me to get outta there
Which was exactly what my grandma used to yell
Whenever she heard my chubby feet creeping across
The kitchen’s linoleum floor after dinner
See, there I go, doing it again!
Honestly though, what am I’m supposed to do
If I’m not present in my poems?
Do I stay in the ski lodge while my poems point their stanzas
Down a steep and icy double black diamond?
Do I take up knitting? Or Tai Chi?
Are my poems expecting me to do the shopping?
Am I supposed to sit in the waiting room
Flipping through a magazine while my poem gets its annual checkup?
Speaking of magazines, Town and Country just deemed the Turkish Riviera
The hottest destination of the summer
Which sounds lovely, but I worry about my skin
Plus, what good would it be to sit beneath a big beach umbrella
Looking out at that sapphire sea
If I don’t have a poem to share it with?
Avery Thompson is a poet and audio producer. He holds an MFA from Texas State University and is a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow. He currently splits his time between San Marcos, TX and Thessaloniki, Greece. His work frequently highlights the absurdities of everyday life. There may be some existential stuff in there too.
