Jonathan and David
your smell
lingers
on the sheets we chose
together,
your shirt
dangles
from its hook,
abandoned.
I wrap myself in
blankets that, warm
from the dryer,
neutralize
tender
memories.
I curl
into our loveseat,
reject
my side
of our bed,
as the rain
descends
beyond
our window,
renewing
flowers
I’ve neglected.
I wish you’d
return-nurse the dying
bulbs back to life.
;
;
I can become her
I apply the Ponds cold cream,
and make sure each pore is filled,
so my face reflects the 80-watt
lights bordering the mirror.
This is the blank slate, the marble
before the impact of the chisel.
From this state, I can go
anywhere, be anyone.
With the proper highlights and shadows,
I can age and deteriorate in minutes
or alter the pointed nose of my ancestors.
I can become her. Viola
Yes, if I became her, somebody would notice
me in the hallway between classes,
ask me out, or invite me to their parties.
If I were Viola, guys would fight over me.
So I dip my smallest brush in the brown
crème, create her cheekbones, round
out my angular jawline.
Make everything soft.
I pat blush onto the apples of cheeks, stain
lips a color like bloody strawberries.
When I look up at the reflection,
she returns my gaze.
She smiles, reaches for a towel and wipes
the makeup from half of my face.
;
Aaron Michael Kline received his BA in Theatre and English from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas. He is currently enrolled in the MFA Poetry Program at Rutgers-Newark, where he is the Truman Capote Fellow in Poetry Writing and cohost/co-coordinator of the Student Reading Series.
Beautiful.
interesting.
in the second poem, though, I think you mean voilà (french for “there it is”), not viola (the musical instrument). Cheers.
actually, I just read it again, and, voilà , I realized that Viola is a proper noun name of a female person. So sorry. :-)
The first poem is lovely, sad, and utterly lonely. The second is gripping… especially that last image. It felt eerie.
I agree, Sarah. The face half made up is haunting and speaks to the crisis of identity I imagine a lot of LGBT people feel. The more I read these poems, the more I love the imagery, the subtlety.
Beautiful & lingering.