DONTS AND DEWS
Baby don’t swear at me
remember when you were young & sane
a mouth full of apple juice
lyrics hidden in your shoe
Honey don’t stare at me
as if we’d made love by the pound
your purse full of cat bones
furry little ghosts haunting low
Darling just bear with me
take the rocks from my pockets
do card tricks on my chest
’til the sun rises out of sight
Sweetheart take care of me
hold back the tide & rain
store the moon in a bus station locker
in case it all breaks down.
—from Rattle #50, Winter 2015
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Saint James Harris Wood: “I used to roam the world in a daze, playing music until I stumbled into a heroin smoking habit and ended up in prison. I wrote this poem out of sheer loneliness driven by the memory of a girlfriend I took back (and she took me back) numerous times until I conspired to ruin the relationship. She still writes. I’ll trade letters about art, music, and books with anyone.” (S.J.H. Wood T30027 / P.O. Box 8101 / CMC-E-6324 / S.L.O., CA 93409)