May 10, 2017 Thirty-first Anniversary

I met Jackie

thirty-one years ago today

it was my friend, Roger’s

twenty-fifth birthday party

I spent that entire day

at the Jewish Theological Seminary

working on a magazine

some friends and I

were going to publish

called “The Deal”

five o’clock rolled around

Instead of going home to change

I decided to take

my magazine friends

to the party early

Roger had the prototype ready

of Poetry at P.S. 25

a collection of poetry

written by my students

at the elementary school

where I taught in Bed-Sty

I was the first to arrive

at the party

in the end

I was the last to leave

what I remember most

was passing around

Poetry at P.S. 25

getting rave reviews

from all the party-goers

nine months earlier

I had broken up

with my live-in girlfriend

of four years

after holing up and reading

Dostyevsky’s The Idiot

I was finally ready to let go

I must have gotten five

phone numbers that night

it was a random hallway meeting 

around midnight

a pretty blond with pink lips

and glasses

introduced to me by

Roger’s girlfriend, Elaine

I stood there in my

red bud lite tank top

and jean shorts with

the zipper halfway down

laughing uncontrollably

Elaine commented that

she never noticed 

my deep brown 

puppy dog eyes before

It must have been those eyes

maybe the sexy outfit

that attracted the pretty blond

at the end of the party

I found myself

sitting with

Roger and Elaine

the blond

and two other guys

both of whom also

had their eyes on this girl

when they walked her to get a cab

I stayed back

I had already gotten

her number and planned

to call her at work the next morning

 

Wedding Vows

I’m getting married in a month or so. Sometimes I feel excited about it, other times I feel numb. My fiancée has been out of wack. Her face is covered with pimples. Her vagina itches. Her period is coming. Her breath smells. When she gets into bed she farts. Her shoulders and neck are in knots. She walks like she has vertigo. She tripped over our dog fence, fell on a glass jar and ended up with 5 stitches in her right palm. She tried on her wedding dress and she burst into tears. She lost the engagement ring I bought her last New Year’s. She hates her job. She blames everything on her job. She’s quitting as soon as we’re married. She wants me to keep telling her she’s beautiful.

In the meantime I need to write my wedding vows, something to say to her before I giver her her wedding ring. She’s already written hers; about how I make her laugh, how I make her feel comfortable and safe and how we’re not “serious.” I don’t know what to write. I can’t get past sentimental memories like how we met at a party. How I told her gently rubbing her wrist that her chocolate chop cookies were delicious, rolling the word delicious around my tongue, how she told me her work number 3 times, repeating it like an operator, that’s 247-0100, that’s 247-0100, how I called her the next morning and how we went out the next night for a day and a half.

Three poems from Poetry at P.S. 25

Mr. Robin smells so good like perfume.

He smells so good that he can

make the flowers smell

so so so so good.

He smells like a rose.

He smells just like me. 

Oh my, Mr. Robin

Shanta McNeil

2nd Grade

Mr. Robin has bad breath.

It smells sour

And his underarms smell like smelly socks.

He lives in a garbage can.

And he eats catfish in the garbage.

His feet smell disgusting and musty.

He eats dogs and cats.

He cooks worms.

He has the baddest breath in Brooklyn.

He is one of the Garbage Pail Kids, Disgusting Justin

He smells like a pig.

He likes raw fish.

He eats snail soup.

He smells like a skunk.

He is so stinky like inside a shoe.

He smells like garbage.

He eats roach soup, cat soup, rat soup, and fly soup

He is nastiest, dumbest person in the world.

Dianne Marra

5th Grade

Sometimes I wish I had not been born.

I wish I were a millionare.

I wish I were a dog because everyone wants to fight me.

     but I do not care. It takes a dog to find a dog.

Every time I fight someone who always picks on me I beat

     their butt.

I wish I were God's child so I would not be like this.

I wish I would behave so I can get my education.

I wish that sometimes I would be away from here so I 

     can get more. 

Athena Wells

5th Grade

My Poems from "The Deal"

Luck

I buy salad and grapes

the grocer rings it up

the price is $3.02

I give the grocer a 5 dollar bill

he gives my back 7 dollars

I take it - look at it

and think did I give him a ten?

I take my money out of my pocket

look at it - no I didn't

I gave him a five

but I walk away

accept his mistake as my luck

then stop again and check my money

think of going back

I feel guilty because he was watching 

my bicycle for me while I shopped

but that was so I could spend more

I decide the extra money is mine

to make up for his high prices

will I go to hell for this?

Courage

It's laundry day

I stop at the supermarket

to buy detergent

today is a big day for me

I've decided to switch detergents

to switch from powder Tide

to liquid Wisk

how many times have I thought of switching

but didn't have the courage?

it was easier to keep 

using what I was used to

but my mother told me

that liquid Wisk was the best

even she had switched

and my clothes have been itchy lately

so I'm at the supermarket looking

and of all days

they are all out of Wisk!

but no I am determined 

my mind is made up

I will not buy Tide

I will find a bottle of Wisk

or I will wear filthy stench-ridden clothes

I go to the corner grocery 

not only do they have Wisk

but it's on sale!

a sure sign from God

I'm doing the right thing