Michael Estabrook - Three Poems

 PARENTS' NIGHT

AT THE HIGH SCHOOL:

(ορ: βλονδεσ αρε ωονδερφυλ)

MATH CLASS: %52$9001&**@

(YELP)

blonde with golden earrings,

red cheeks, lipstick,

fingernails: βλονδεσ

(BARK)

(like Miss Staniszevski,

my high school math teacher)

βλονδεσ αρε

(GRUNT)

tight black dress with

great flashing buttons:

smooth silky legs: sweet

feminine aroma:

βλονδεσ αρε ωονδερφυλ

(SNIFF, SNIFF)

(God but I love math)

βλονδεσ αρε ϕυστ φυχκινγ

ωονδερφυλ ωονδερφυλ

(TWIRLING WHEN WALKING)

***

FOUR TURTLES CROSSING

strange month of June

I saw four turtles cr

ossing four different

roads at four differe

nt times

stopped the car twice

to take them away: dr

opping one, a red-ear

painter, into a nearb

y pond, & dropping th

e other, an unhappy s

napper, about yea big

which I lifted by its

tail carefully watchi

ng its open-jawed hea

d snake up & around l

ike a cobra coming ou

t of a basket, into a

gully leading down to

a stream

the other two I could

n't do anything about

I was moving too fast

& there were too many

cars; couldn't risk c

racking up for a turt

le; I know that but I

feel damn guilty abou

t it nonetheless

***

         SHE

   AVERTED

HER EYES

   she

      averted

         her

            eyes

         when

      I

   looked

at

   her

      saw

         her

            stand

         ing

      there

   all

shapely

   and

      sweet

         with

            fine

         smooth

   lines.