Three Poems by

 

Patricia Powers

 

 

 

 

Like This

after Cid Corman

 

 

I in

sist on

using

the word

ainsi

in

correctly

anzi

correctly

 

 

 

 

 

 

windows fight jasmine *

 

 

windows fight jasmine

afternoon petals sucked out

small aslant slow

 

brushwood sentences gliding

faulty deeper bristling

lightness unused cinders

 

beaten waves confused

street branches short

private mouth winning

 

old weeks falling

oak pink rain

girl little tent

 

 

*This poem was created from purposefully chosen words from William Carlos Williams’ Selected Poems, printed and cut out, then blindly pulled from a hat. Line endings and stanza breaks my own. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Color Catalog *

 

 

Yellow

Butter daffodils

And

Urine trumpets

 

Red

Coke can poppies

And

Stop sign blood

 

Blue

Windex whales

And

Myrtle flames

 

Green

Clover vomit

And

Frog snot

 

Brown

Dog hair chocolate

And

Caramel nipples

 

Black

Coal periods

And

Ink helmets

 

White

Goat ropes

And

Cow bones

 

Violet

Aubergine tongues

And

Crocus carcasses

 

Pink

Fingertip scars

And

Clitoris erasers

 

 

*This poem borrows words from two poems by Mary Ruefle side by side in Dunce—“The Butter Festival” (last line for the butter festival) and “30 March” (first lines The daffodils came out / with trumpets). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patricia Powers studied psychology and creative writing in Philadelphia and is currently a MFA candidate at Queens University Charlotte.  Her work has been published in Bridge Eight, The Keeping Room, Locust Shells and others.  She lives in Paris.  Patricia Powers is online at patriciapowers.org 

 

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