Steps

Blame the girl.

Scrap the story
you tricked yourself
into writing.

Confess it:

Your weakness has
become your strength
your Popeye pill.

Own what’s bought.

This is your
master bed
your dream house.

Blame the girl.

Scrap the story
your tricked self
your writing

your weakness
your strength
your Popeye pill

own what’s wrought
your master bed
your dream house.

Blame the girl.

Scrap the story
you tricked
to write.

Confess:

Your weakness has
become your strength
your popeyed pill.

Own blame brought

This master bed your
dream house.

Blame the girl.

Scrap the story
you were tricked
into writing.

Confess it:

Your weakness has
become your strength
your ugly pill.

Own what’s brought.

This is your
master bed.  House
your dreams.

 

Dedalus on a Slow Horse

The screeching
over crash waves
Dedalus screaming

you don’t listen
you never listen

no one knows labyrinths
from lavatories

if a cat with yarn
can purl through my maze
it deserves to

hang my wings
on a tree
no one will even know
to climb

take a mule
to the next land

picture a tower
keep secrets safe

forgo locks.

 

Cool Cats

Your words
never flew
until pancaked in
poreblock blush.

We teach you
to trust fall
until one of us
digs a hole.

How dare you
trust us
when we say
trust us

you’re a fish
three hooks
into the season
easy peel back
climbing

cod ingested
pan without
long boring talks at
our dinner table.

 

Band

wagon rolls
wheel makes
steering poor

width gives
length denies
new heights

this should
not be
my poem

meta for
poor suckers
drowned deepend

hot water
makes for
cold grinds

lotion will
worm ring
into place

no relief
put on
taken off

 

Chad Parenteau is the author of Patron Emeritus, released in 2013 by FootHills Publishing. His work has appeared in Tell-Tale Inklings, What Rough Beast, The Skinny Poetry Journal, Ibbetson Street and Wilderness House Literary Review. He serves as Associate Editor of the online journal Oddball Magazine.