two poems
Alice Hall
CRISIS IN REALISM
it is the little flashlight of the usher, moving like an uncertain comet across the night of our waking dream
–André Bazin
I don't go to the movies anymore
I don't go to the bars because
—Say it,
I DON'T TRUST A SINGLE MOTHERFUCKER IN HERE,
okay so
the image of things is the image of their duration
oh you mean
the silver eggy
gelatine print
between my finger pads
—Say it,
I'D GIVE EM A BIG KISS! ☺
photographs are
one, a hallucination that is also a fact
two, an umbilical cord
three, the delayed rays of a star
the death drive of the Niagara River
took a woman and her car
like Williams who always said he wanted
to kiss the Passaic with his body
four, something that our eyes alone have not taught us to love
mercenary heart
you always catch me
listening against the walls
what direction do your nails point
on the other hand, of course, cinema
is also a language and it's hard to deny the appeal
I can also listen to the martians
I can also get deep dark and I can go to the ocean and ask it
how dare you do the thing you do
I don't go to the movies anymore
I don't go to the bars because
—Say it,
I DON'T TRUST A SINGLE MOTHERFUCKER IN HERE,
okay so the image of things is the image of their duration
oh you mean the silver eggy
gelatine print
between my finger pads
—Say it,
I'D GIVE EM A BIG KISS! ☺
photographs are
one, a hallucination that is also a fact
two, an umbilical cord
three, the delayed rays of a star
the death drive of the Niagara River
took a woman and her car
like Williams who always said he wanted
to kiss the Passaic with his body
four, something that our eyes alone have not taught us to love
mercenary heart you always catch me
listening against the walls what direction do your nails point
on the other hand, of course, cinema
is also a language and it's hard to deny the appeal
I can also listen to the martians
I can also get deep dark and I can go to the ocean and ask it
how dare you do the thing you do
LOVE, MANGANESE BLUE STYLE
the way the rose bush leans against the siding peeling off the building's edge. the air exiting hoarse in the throat. pollen pretends a closeness. the web of foam spat out by gnats coating the bushes. spun spittle baking in the sunlight. thank you for your payment. thank you for your payment. thank you for your payment. waste and care lie together on the sidewalk. covered in dirt and chalk. two-by-fours with nails scattered in the yard. nicknamed mr. dangers. your order is ready for pickup. loved a movie. loved a message. disliked a picture. thank you for your payment. caulked up coughing the shingle slides the siding off the structure's slope, yes I am caterwauling again. I repeat the story, I repeat the story. your interest is appreciated and we're happy to accommodate you. the way it smells here. your hair, somewhere between laundry and the trees.