Welcome to Not bad!, Talk Vomit’s Sunday morning poetry series. Today, we are featuring three poems by Boston-area poet Harry Meltzer.
The Boat
My roommate doesn’t let me say
that I am crazy
that crazy has to be me
because the hurt that wraps itself in my chest
are the waves that sink the boat otherwise
they are the boat and the cracks in the bottom of it
my socks are damp
or I am drowning
I prefer wet laundry to wet lungs
dinghy – that’s how my therapist characterizes my depression
that part of myself floats in the ocean
trailing tattered cord that I am told
once held me to the shore
in the metaphor the sky stormy and wide
the space between the walls of water
only enough to know that
beyond, more waves —
not enough to know
where is the shore
it’s like the painting on Robin Williams’ wall
in Good Will Hunting
or it would be
if I were a dinghy
but I am crazy
which is to say
that I am not a boat
and I’ll dry my laundry
when I am brave enough to
pick myself up from the chair.
Suicide (loose)
There is suicide
loose in the backyard
I found him
ashy face among the coals
digging holes with
ashy paws
chewing bones out in the field
one tree crouched in gold half-autumn
whiskered lips curled teeth not tired
Mollusc
Imagine
evolution misplaced
our mouths
and we salivated
from our palms so we
digested the things we hold close
imagine how dinner would change,
how much we could say
without food in our mouths
how I would
dissolve you
in every touch, we would
cannibalize lovers with
selfish fingers.
we ready
that poison behind our lips
let another taste us with
an acid kiss
we devour one another
anyway, so
what’s the difference.
Harry Meltzer draws inspiration from his experience in the fields of mental health, outdoor recreation and fitness. He owes his success to his four-legged manager who always keeps him on track. When he is not writing poems, Harry is drawn to nature, fascinated by relationships and empathy, and can always be found searching for little woodsy corners in the greater Boston area.
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