Little White Wine

Velocity of dandelion growth
an exact moment escapes definition

what first weakened the cottonwood
to finally snap its limbs
in last night’s wind. Failure’s principle

begins with the initial application
not unlike an old cat unable
to jump onto the bed, what led

her attempt on arthritic hips? Mornings
become stale because I know

dew will dry, clouds will burn
off drawing me no closer to certainty.

Tortillas & eggs cool in the skillet,
the phone doesn’t ring. A branch cracks
as I continually refresh the white screen.

***

The Afternoon of Heavy Snows

.                                  —for Charles Olsen

I suspect mulberries will be late
coming to bud, let alone
being ready for pies or wine

praying the plumbing doesn’t make me
wander around with my pants down
or off like a stuffed animal
Winnie the Pooh & Smokey Bear combine
to make a complete outfit. But one

is actually a mascot, therefore
logic fails as does my inkling
so I choose to use an actual

ink to record my thoughts on this
& other matters, how if

I wore holey shoes outside I’d have
Jesus protect me from eventually
sawing off my blackened toes

don’t like paying rent, either, or doing
chores because idle hands are
of poetry’s eternal making.

***

A graduate of Colorado State U’s MFA program, Jerrod E. Bohn is the author of two full-length poetry books, Animal Histories (2017) and PULP: A Manifesto (2018) both from Unsolicited Press. His poetry and nonfiction has appeared in numerous literary journals and publications that aren’t strictly literary. He currently lives in Seattle where he teaches yoga and community college writing courses, runs Gravel: A Reading Series at a local brewery, and enjoys cooking and being outdoors.