the great breakthrough
        came at dawn on the
       eve of a national
holiday
you made the people squire

jackson rode his horse and
           got high
                         in the saddle
if he ever saw you
             living the way you smile
he’d have grown greater
you made the people squirm

christ was an empty circle
                       behind a breeze
you made love to christ i know that
                         because
of the sexual scar on your scalp
you made the people squabble

you made the man
                     a man
you made the maid
                     a maid
you the maid
     were made
you made the people squint

listen if you can-
but you can’t-
so you won’t-
     you don’t-
                     a number-
                                did-
you made the people square

drove your spoon down the highway
                       of the throat
                       of the boat
                       rather remote
                       so he wrote
you made the people squeal

with your camera
you went to a
                                baseball
game and took a
picture of the pitcher
pitching his pitches
pitched against pictures
             of
pitchers of water
you made the people squeeze

you
           laughed your laugh
and
           broke in half
my
           only staff
and
                                    sometimes
you made the people squeak

you made me kiss your porcupine’s wife
even though you knew i didn’t want to
you made me slice your body with my knife
even though you knew i didn’t want to
you made me steal the sun from the sky
you made me teach the pupil in your eye
you held my heart so hideously high
you made me promise my pain when i die
and never once did i bother asking why
even though you knew i didn’t want to
you made the people squelch

you made
the monkeys moons
you made
the lions loons
you made
the birds baboons
you made
the spiders spoons
you made
the jaguars junes
you made
the tigers tunes
you made
the donkeys dunes
you made
the snakes saloons
you made
the cats cartoons
you made
the pigs platoons
you made the people squirrels

COPYRIGHT 2000 by Michael Bonanno
LOC Reg. #TXu 934-647

Reproduction of “michael's
other love lived yesterday”
or any part therein without
the express written consent
of Michael Bonanno, is
prohibited, with the
exeption of “fair use”
circumstances.

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                                                                                                                                (and some other assorted foolish verses)