amphibi.us

“Substitute the anger and oppression with guilt and depression and it’s yours.” –Saul Williams

I left the reading early last night because I couldn’t take any more

of the self-professed confessional poet. Something about feelings so contained

scares me.

Tonight over Twitter, I found out one of my former students

killed himself. They say he seemed happy.

My daughter is taking a bath before bed. She dunks her Ariel doll’s head saying,

“She can breathe on land or underwater because she has gills AND lungs.”

Kim wasn’t really that bad.

Except she overstressed every other syllable

commanding them to behave the way

they were probably forced to sound

at all her readings.

While I brushed Maya’s teeth a few months ago she asked,

“Daddy, would you rather have a million dollars

or have a telescope that can see God?”

I’d forgotten about that question until tonight. Is it wrong that I still don’t have an answer?

If only you were part teenager part Merman, Anthony.

That way you could hold your breath or breathe underwater

until everything was okay,

and your feelings

didn’t scare you anymore.

© Daniel Romo, 2010

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