By Allison Malecha
Distortions
Remember the night in June
when we hijacked your dad’s speedboat, armed
with licorice and not-so-chaste intentions
breaking midnight’s calm with cannonballs
and waves of laughter, and the water
wrapped around like silk robes?
I don’t.
I remember goosebumps
under the blanket of summer air
at the thought of what you wanted,
fragile screams bubbling through the water
after hitting the surface like ice,
a fear of drowning in the hands
of Minnetonka’s asphalt colored waves.
Funny how the stars play tricks on you
the moonshine twinkling in your eyes
blinded you
to the malaise churning across my face.
Creed to Deal
Photo courtesy of dcis steve (flickr.com).
I believe in the power of Advil
to sweep this throbbing in my head away
and that vivacity requires only one 5 o’clock a day.
I believe the underbelly of my eyelid
is more necessary than the sunrise.
I believe running numbs racetrack thoughts—
I don’t stop until fire grips my calves
and fatigue fills me with weights.
I believe in the thesaurus, in the grassy
taste of a new word on my tongue
in the power of Twain to pull a veil
across Worry’s eyes—at least for a while.
I believe there is nothing wrong in believing
in high heels, lip gloss, and mini
skirts as solutions to sadness
or in knowing that polyester will always
pull at the wrong place in my self-esteem.
I believe in garlic over cinnamon
and that gum is a quick fix for arachnophobia.
I believe Mocha understands me better
through her puppy eyes than Thomas Epps ever will
through my articulated words. I believe skinned knees
and Disney band-aids will patch my broken heart.
About Allison: She’s a college freshman at Columbia University currently studying French, Czech, and the humanities. Aside from being Style Editor for the “Columbia Daily Spectator,” in her spare time she also likes to indulge in reading magazines, writing poetry and short stories, and exploring the hidden corners of New York.
It has a sad tone to it, but it’s really good. My favorite line: “I believe skinned knees and Disney band-aids will patch my broken heart.”
Beautiful, powerful poetry. Thank you!
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY, ALLISON!
What a wonderful V-Day for me to read your Yarn entry!
Your words are so poignant, splendid, sometimes surreal, vivid.
As a nanny for a family on that very infamous Lake you speak of when I was a late teen, having met the neighbor’s grandson for a brief encounter, I resonated. Thank You!
I am, as usual, overwhelmed at what comes through your MIND”S EYE! So
beautiful, so truthful and so insightful. Your poetry is a “gift” to the world!
Having just spent eleven days with Mocha, I absolutely agree that she understands! She is an old soul…..just as you are!
Thank you for the beautiful poetry!
The imagery in the poem “Distortions” is so lively it paints vivid pictures in my head. The line I can most relate to is “I remember goosebumps
under the blanket of summer air.” It reminds me of the cold feeling you feel when you first lay under your blanket.