who doesn’t love the fair?
these nails of mine i do not know
belong to whose body &
the inability to sleep
in your backyard how the intel world buzzes
on what i might suspect a quiet Monday morning
planes blast skyward
a mesquite tree
twelve disciples click & call to me
dove and grackle my angels my choir
are xmas decorations evenly spaced
“are you too hot for me?” i say as i slip my thighs under your hot
bum breathe settle my tum your buttons my buns
blood rises brain lights up i pop on the fan with the remote
night long’s happy dance
the fan’s safe click like Nanny Enns’ clock
on the mantle in her apartment on Spruce
i dream Apache drums monster trucks
Vroom Vroom! (the crowd goes mad)
& fair bear at the state fair the ones we were gifted
yesterday though my aim less than fair duped no one
in the barn we pat
wallabies (wanna be) home long lashed camels & llamas
children’s eyes grow large when a zebu
pokes its nose in to their sides itching for feed
i pat the long faced pregnant looking sheep whisper
“don’t worry it’s the last day of the fair it’s almost over”
disabled folk rest on their walkers a child gloats over his new
stuffed animal pats it i ask his folks if i can take a photo
his mother says “no”
kids crunch on candy apples candy floss
in kettle corn air smell of funnel cakes
zucchini fingers jalapeños wrapped in bacon lingers
D & me lick Dole Whip cones drink Chub cafe o lait in cans with lids
made by a man from Puebla town of Talavera pottery
i think on how this country has been built on the backs of Latino people
i hide enshadowed under my purple umbrella
dump water down the back of my top
run to the can
my cell pops from my pocket slides over concrete
the photos i longed to share with you
have lime stripes running through them
it’s three degrees with rivers atmospheric in my hometown Deep Cove
four houses plunge into the sea
i hear our neighbour Mike cart away our recycling
i thank the October sun & Mike
o to the generosity of strangers
ps “avoid that part of the backyard
at night where the dogs poo poo”
Phoenix Coming Home
people are thinking about me going to phoenix. it’s like they’re going too.
everyone rooting for us. woman from gibsons in airport “watch out for red flags.”
shelby warns of online dating .hacking. getting burned.
you’ve visited me three times now. initially for a week.
you are flung out of space. walk up to the sun. stay in the Gibsons Garden Hotel.
gym. hot tub. sauna. you saw me & my dog Gaia from the ferry
searching for sea glass on the beach. for you. between kelly green sea grass &
diamonds in the sand. each time it gets a little easier. first impressions
favorable. but i am losing my voice. nightly chats.
face timing. blabbing half the blooming night
shedding nervousness. first few kisses tentative. you sleep in the hotel.
switch to my home which suits. in its simplicity. which begs
“why me?” what am i to do with you? obliterate your personality?
hottie with the naughty body. give me one more kiss.
invoke the sun & moon. remember this song on your lips
feel it all over. see us walk around town arm in arm.
i take it easy on the lipstick. i’ll love you a thousand years &
i’ll suck on your rock & roll toes. light blue
if you want to moan, put down the phone. walk into the Arizona sun oh
happy saunterer. let this summer sing in you. let your song out.
what they don’t tell you, will bite you later. i
will bite you later. now who is rough & tough, full of bluff?
the land embedded itself into this rain bird
up up & away
goodbye Phoenix
final wink
Cat Mac & D Carver’s Book Tour of Emily & Elspeth
mutual notes writing with ladyluck no longer wage slaves the incentive to lie was high freedom is a dirty word dirt is not cheap her heartbeat between my fingers i melt with her cloud seeding o’er davis bay the sea hoodwinked gnats gobble my latte day’s eyes smile blackberries try to bloom the beginning of summer queen anne’s lace skips trips don’t make me kill you lol you are cutting my flesh you talk too much a big fat no under storm washed skies love looks good on you i love love you look younger your hand in mine
she met a girl
cat mac 