The Conversational Poet Fall 2013 | Page 5

After you’re gone, I’ll learn to kiss again I’ll form my face on someone else’s cheek And hold onto his belt loops when he sees me My guard held once Obese against predators Baltic beaten and salted with wind It fell to nothing But has frayed Though worry not, my dear There is nothing here worth the time or labor Of reinstalling walls Homes in Detroit are a dollar, dear And skyscrapers are mere millions Not because the architecture isn’t beautiful Infrastructure firm But simply because nobody wants to live in Detroit There is simply no artwork here, my dear Without the bulletproof climatization That control freak Mona would’ve sogged too Frayed at the sides like a childhood Oreo Forgotten in milk I have nothing sacred, nor worthy of the Calculated stealth of thieves, my dear So if you were here to steal from me I’d laugh at you if I had any laugh left And when you’re gone, I’ll kiss again I’ll form my face on someone else’s cheek And hold onto his belt loops when he sees me Caroline Mahoney