Squirrels
the squirrels are running around in the space between the downstairs ceiling
and the upstairs floor
the cats acknowledge the loudest stampede sounds
and ignore other lesser noise
they look to me to make sure
I’m alright
they see that I’m fine and not reacting
so they act accordingly
they’ve cased every inch of that floor and they know
that the squirrels aren’t anywhere to be got
the ruckus will eventually die down
and they can go back to sleep
nothing to see here
Amsterdam
is color
entire shops dedicated
to marionettes or wind chimes
walking down the block
next to a canal
I see
a calico cat sunning
on the roof
of a boathouse
beyond her a flower market
so huge
it takes up blocks
in the market
a handmade pretzel stand &
row after row of every shade of tulip imaginable
I could easily get lost
in here
and i
wouldn’t care
our hotel was called The Sphinx &
by the end of the night
we were calling it Sphinxy
it all made sense
at the time
the spaceship candy shop at the airport
with horrible candy
the art in the van gogh museum
a mecca
for artists and art appreciators
for intelligent people who care about the planet
history written into the cobblestones
generations of ghosts who hate change
Amsterdam,
I will retire in you one day
but until then
stay strange
Be a Feminist
you have nothing to lose by
calling yourself ‘feminist’
it’s not like the world does a big curtsy and change
to welcome you into the thinking sector
of your gender
it’s not like you get a scarlet letter
on your sweater
there is no guild of reverends
who will set you on fire
(they might jail you for life for not choosing to be a mother, but)
stand up for your
self
and for those innumerable other women,
lost
out in the
mute silence
berserk nerkedness
for me
the real heroine of trump’s presidency is melania
I think she loathes him,
with her little silent tantrums,
her “be best” anti-bullying campaign launched
as trump snidely bullies every single person around him,
fair-weather friend or foe
her legendary scowl smolders
it must be like being married to tony soprano
and telling him that if he’d only go to anger management
none of this would be happening
her level of delusion is THICK
she has to be twice removed on Xanax
and no matter,
after this presidency she’s set for life
after the divorce
her
gold digger status will be platinum
and
in the
history books
she will have finally achieved it,
the
American dream
Come to jesus
I can’t escape jesus
no matter
where I go
or how hard I try
to live this life uncontaminated
by other people’s faith
he is synonymous
with so many
American octopi tentacles reaching into the meat
of civic life
church bells breaking numerous sound ordinances
dinners where I wasn’t
expecting him to be mentioned
before I could
eat
in our pledge of allegiance
which I sat out in high school
because I couldn’t make myself
conform to the patriarchy
before I even knew what the word patriarchy meant
Six-year-old me told the pastor at vacation bible camp
that I would not
take jesus into my heart
It was the best decision I ever made-
I’m great at being a heathen
I coddle babies with coos and smiles
I donate to charity when I can
I am kind to everyone I meet
I try my best to be a decent person
I don’t murder anyone, rape anyone, rob anyone
so yeah, I’m just here heathening it up
if you ever finally stop and think about everything
that you are signing up for
with religion:
the wars, the judgements, the patriarchal exclusion of women, the hate, the sexism, the molestations, the witch burnings, the crushing of gay people’s souls, the rejection of science, the ultimate cult,
call me
Alien Buddha Press 