“Juiced” – Belated Magpie

image by Klaus Enrique Gerdes

Juiced

There are just these dangers in
the day–take
irons– that metal’s steaming
hot and, even warded by
the cord, could fall, jump, burn
an anvil-shaped bright brand, or maybe
you’ll forget or get
impatient, run the scorch over
your that-very-minute worn dress, pleat/pucker ruffled
breast–and what
about juicers, huh?
Sucking
at your digits, aching to masticate
a tip, gnash knuckle, no matter how you
grip the plastic stick/
emergency carrot– Even
that wheely knife that cuts up
pizza–you’ve seen the thick and thumbless palms–carbon
monoxide at the bus station–
And then you have a baby–I mean that you give birth
to an actual living child–and every electrical outlet
leers its two-faced grin, furniture edges
sharpen–and you could even
just drop the poor wee thing
off the changing table or
nearby cliff–
there is simply so
much power, so little
power, so much
room to fall/slash/burn, so
little room
for error,
and how are we to
fare, we,
with the cut tendrils, tangled
vines, the carrot and
stick stick stick stick
minds–how…
breathe easily?

****************************************************

I am posting the above (belatedly) for Tess Kincaid’s The Mag, where Tess sets up a photo prompt each week. Check it out! Also, while you are at it, check out my three books: Children’s counting book 1 Mississippi -for lovers of rivers, light and pachyderms. Or, if you in the mood for something older, check out Going on Somewhere, poetry, and Nose Dive, escapist fluff.

And have a lovely weekend.

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This entry was posted on June 8, 2012 at 11:08 am and is filed under poetry, Uncategorized. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: "Juiced", fear of irons, fear of juicers poem, Magpie Tales, manicddaily, poem about phobias

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7 Comments on ““Juiced” – Belated Magpie”

David King Says:

June 9, 2012 at 3:42 am
there is simply so
much power, so little
power, so much
room to fall/slash/burn, so
little room
for error,

These lines went home for me, reminding me of the worries and anxieties that can beset the new first-time parent, not really knowing what is best to do.

The whole verse is splendidly done so that it brings a response from memory, but these lines definitely hit me the hardest.

Well done.

Reply
brian miller Says:

June 9, 2012 at 6:18 am
smiles…it is amazing how much we recognize danger when we have kids…i am not afraid of rish…until you put my kids in the equation…so that brought it home to me…the trick is realizing just how little control i have and anything can happen…and its not my fault…but still i try…

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hedgewitch Says:

June 9, 2012 at 11:06 am
That picture totally freaks me out, despite loving fruits and vegetables and nature and all–I think you capture that sense of anxiety it induces in me, of wrongness–in your post about the pitfalls and dangers of just being here. The ‘er’ words at the end really work well–nice cadence and, dare I say, mouth feel? ;_)

Reply
- ManicDdaily Says:
  
  June 9, 2012 at 11:09 am
  Thanks, Joy. I actually am someone somewhat phobic of irons though I press things all the time. It is a weird photo, like those odd Dutch paintings, but I believe a photo. K.
  
  Reply
  - hedgewitch Says:
    
    June 9, 2012 at 11:29 am
    I’ve managed to avoid my iron phobia by not owning anything that needs ironing for some time now–but I do know what you mean–especially the old steam irons that hiss at you like a snake. And painting or photo–the pic is just creepy. I keep expecting it to talk, which is just wrong on so many levels.
  - ManicDdaily Says:
    
    June 9, 2012 at 11:31 am
    Ha – yes, the eyes have a peculiar beadiness. (Grapes?) I was thinking how animate anything with eyes becomes–though later, nothing to do with poem.
Tess Kincaid Says:

June 10, 2012 at 4:21 am
Excellent write…I adore “emergency carrot”…and I see faces in the outlets too…

Reply