10,000 Potato Chips
I ate 10,000 Utz of Hanover potato chips last night
And swallowed 2 gallons of Coca-Cola, too.
I did this because I was lonely,
Remembering when we talked three weeks ago.
Your voice, I think, is incomparable,
And so I was preoccupied
With the Capulets and the Montagues.
To speak with you,
I think sometimes I must swallow aged tequila
To calm my electric central nervous system;
Then, with undisciplined words,
I would beg for you like King Lear—
I would not speak of blueberries
Or the way the Japanese drink tea or Ozu.
Being gracious, you would turn away
Toward your coffee pot,
Whispering so I could not hear:
“I do not take the phone numbers of boy idiots.”
This morning I ate 10,000 more potato chips,
And I drank 1 gallon of coke on ice.
Afterword, I ate blueberry pancakes
And bought three vacuum cleaner bags from Target.
I promise I shall speak with you on Wednesday,
With a cup of tea in my hand,
And I shall ask whether you have ever seen
The waves of Sargasso Sea.
Love your blog and always lo e your poems, sir. Keep it up. Great photos too.
terrific poem
thank you so much.