Issue |
 |
January |
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a poem by Puma Perl (2 of 2)
unconvinced
marge simpson
owns my voice
so does lily tomlin
or your sister
it is not mine
i memorize my lines
shout words along
the highway
dogs roll by
regal as emperors
panting against
windows
the phone rings
someone insists
that i sound terrible,
i must be sick
they do not believe
that i am well
it makes them angry
last night
a woman told me
that I look like her
not like myself
a man said
my poems fail
to convince him
that they are
poems
maybe they are potatoes
and exist only
in my stolen
images
and sounds
owns my voice
so does lily tomlin
or your sister
it is not mine
shout words along
the highway
regal as emperors
panting against
windows
someone insists
that i sound terrible,
i must be sick
that i am well
it makes them angry
a woman told me
that I look like her
not like myself
my poems fail
to convince him
that they are
poems
and exist only
in my stolen
images
and sounds