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Snow in my coffee.
I’m a coffee addict but I don’t know the lingo
and this is the first time I’ve entered
this intimate closet
café.
I walked by without noticing
until the snow came.
I ask for one shot
of espresso in my cup and he tells me
that is “red eye”
or “a shot in the dark,”
and both of those terms make sense to me.
It’s my day off, midweek,
I explain when he asks about my
pajamas tucked into boots that aren’t really fit
for snowstorms.
His eyes are light blue, and I don’t mind that I am
eyeliner-smeared and disheveled.
I tell him it feels like the snow will never end
and sometimes I think I am part of the blanket,
falling
endlessly
to concrete.
I don’t mention I’m always shooting
in the dark, casting dreams like kites in an electrical storm
across city-sized snowglobes
lit by streetlamps
or that maybe “pretentious”
just means having pretense for some towering thing
you can’t yet see
through the snow.
There’s no other word for it.
Or other words don’t fit
this lack
of momentum
in streets that are white and wet
and stuck there
against their will, and how
does everyone do it
every
goddamn
day?
Strip off blankets
and face windows,
wash away sleep with water and trudge
through traffic like ants with newspapers
agendas
hearts beating in prisons
emails in palms that say “cancer” and “Friday night” and “bank statement” in the same font
and expectations
so momentarily catastrophic;
the order
for that coffee you were waiting in line for,
stuck in the desert of your mouth like sandpaper.
I could give you a spike of cold metallic Scottish rain, falling so hard you could feel the drops reverberate on your lips every time you drank.
Your poems are so lovely.
"emails is palms that say “cancer” and “Friday night” and “bank statement” in the same font"
I love that line, I love this poem.
I really enjoyed both of these. But the second one is sucker-punch-you-in-the-stomach-and-steal-your-lunch-money good.
…how
do you do it
every
goddamn
time?
I really like the second one. I know exactly the feeling you're expressing… the winter in NYC seems to defy the forward movement of life, and yet it keeps on moving and people keep going to work, and it's like…. why?
Amazing. I can't believe you write so well! It takes my breath away.
Like the new layout and the layout of the blog too.
I don't know coffee lingo either. I just know that I need it more somedays and that is when I have myself a third or a forth.
my new love these days is poetry. and bacon. but whatever.
it's not easy to write poetry, i find. you have to have an ear for it; a feeling. you have that and these two lovely pieces show that through and through.
Q – what do you find comes more naturally to you – prose or poetry?
The coffee poem: Sometimes I feel as though there's only a thin veil between all of my thought patterns and the interactions I have with strangers. It makes me nervous, but it's also exhilarating to think someone could see through me at any moment. That's the part of me that resonated when I read this poem. (but then I just woke up. I hope I'm not missing the point, like I'm inclined to do).
The Dreary poem: This one made me uncomfortable. Perhaps because it resonates so much. Hm..
I love the new layout, by the way. Much less distracting.
"sometimes I think I'm part of the
blanket falling endlessly to
concrete" amazing phrase and
thought to ruminate upon.
i feel this way. i am an ant in traffic, weaving thru the chaos, hoping to making it thru, or at least get crushed.
Hey there, nice poems. I especially enjoyed the second one. Like you I also wonder how people do it. I mean: if everyone stopped at the same time, all decided to stay in bed and not head out in the morning, what would happen?
And love the new header
god sometimes i feel like your in my head. Have so similar thoughts, experiences with writing from the coffee to your old hometown post.
http://sexisatwowaytreat.blogspot.com
for those about to f*ck – we salute you. an anonymous and brutally honest blog about what every single one of us thinks of constantly – sex.
Good entry !
reading your entries
feels like placing first in MarioKart
Funny how forced isolation makes us search harder for things in plain sight. I kissed someone for the first time in three years, and started reading Anias Nin's 'Little Birds.' Time is a strange beast.
The storm always quiets through the window, hopefully its sunny inside as well. If not, I'd recommend 'Morvern Callar.' [the film]
Your words are magic!
Dean
Palms are ?
Sorry. Feel free to delete. Grammar Nazism is too strong in my bloodline to deny.
The header picture stopped me in my tracks. I stared at it for awhile before scrolling down. Its awesome.
I recently heard someone in Second Cup talk about a red eye. The guy was warning the customer that a red eye is super hard core. I was thinking "how hard core can a red eye be? It's not like they have alcohol in here.". I hope you enjoyed the red eye. Although I don't care to taste it, I want to know how "hard core" it is.
Hannah, I love your new format, but I already miss the old one. These poems about snow in the city are, for me, a peek into your world. I love in the Deep South where snow is rare, and it makes everyone a little crazy. "I tell him it feels like the snow will never end and sometimes I think I am part of the blanket, falling endlessly to concrete." This sentence fits perfectly into the puzzle of my grief. Thank you.
PS May I quote the above sentence in one of my blogs? You found my feeling in this one sentence, and I would like t share it with my readers – some of whom still wonder what's wrong with me
I had been trying not to think about the meanings of life and love, but now, I felt stirred up by this post. Your writing is amaizing.
Belated congratulations on your blog being chosen as a Google Blog of Note. You truly deserved it.
http://caffeinatedglobe.blogspot.com/
Great poems!
I'm beyond glad I was introduced to your blog.
You make me want to write more.
And better.
Both of these were great. I think I like the first one more though… It speaks to me differently than the other. My favorite line…." I don’t mention I’m always shooting
in the dark, casting dreams like kites in an electrical storm" …
It makes me want to paint a picture of the mental picture you have painted for me.
Thank you for these… I look forward to seeing new posts from you.
"How does everyone do it every goddamn day…" I've been asking my therapist the same thing.
-Victoria D.
I really like this one. I felt like it kind of matched my mood today.
Oh, and awesome header picture by the way! Love it!
I nearly fell out of my chair, thank you!
And of course, while I was here, I couldn't help but reread
". . . casting dreams like kites in an electrical storm. . ."
.
.
.
I'm a first time reader and I'll be back.
I'm glad to have somewhere to go when the words seem to stagnate. I think this could be a nice funk breaker and I thank you in advance.
Your words enchant me as always. I relate more than my own words could ever express.
Hop over to my Blog, I nominated you for an award!
http://aprylsmindshowers.blogspot.com/
Very nice, especially the first one. There's more hope in that one.
I'm scared to learn the coffee lingo, as it means that my addiction is real.
Take care!
each word seems hand-picked by a muse, though rarely the same one
you are divine
i felt sad. you are such an emotiional stirrer. is stirrer a word, HTNYW?
South by a hemisphere
In all the earth;
Perth:
The blue sky of eternity
sunshine
Skibidy dibbity dee.
The cat up in the tree.
The dawg said "woof."
The horse gotta hoof.
And now I gots to pee.
Copyright Rondell Jenkins, patent pending
Ack! Snow? Urgh. Well … then I guess I should keep all the talk of magnolias and cherry blossoms to myself, then, huh?
Snow … really … is … loverly … as long as it's not at my feet.
Love love love the new header and template.
Hello!!
You won an award ^^
http://heartbrokenvoices.blogspot.com/2010/03/lovely.html