Back when I was a twenty-something temp working secretarial jobs in DC, I decided to take a couple of graduate courses to see if I could hold my own, to see if I had any part of a brain. Kim, who was pursuing an actual degree, was in both my courses.
Maybe it was her big eyes and her supercool glasses. Maybe it was the exotica of her recent life in Micronesia, however actually miserable. Maybe it was because I loved everything she said and wrote. But I had just had to be her friend, if she’d have me.
I remember listening to that other poet, Suzanne Vega, when we’d visit.
Happy birthday, Kim.
Today I am
A small blue thing
Like a marble
Or an eye
With my knees against my mouth
I am perfectly round
I am watching you
I am cold against your skin
You are perfectly reflected
I am lost inside your pocket
I am lost against
Your fingers
I am falling down the stairs
I am skipping on the sidewalk
I am thrown against the sky
I am raining down in pieces
I am scattering like light
Scattering like light
Scattering like light
Today I am
A small blue thing
Made of china
Made of glass
I am cool and smooth and curious
I never blink
I am turning in your hand
Turning in your hand
Small blue thing
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3 comments:
What a great birthday present (and I definitely need to get a Suzanne Vega CD).
Did you hold your own?
Otter: I did. I wasn't necessarily destined for greatness (there were one or two stars), but I had every right to be there. That helped.
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