The Persistence of Mercury

clouds
someone says they look like horses
another says cats
you see fire
and it is burning your people
the crops have all been ruined
your father scrapes one of the burnt roots with his old knife
underneath the root is still alive
he gives it to you
says it will grow
forgets you were never a farmer
you ask him to show you how
father laughs
he can't do it either
still doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up
but all those years
he never had time to talk to you
you have more reason to hate him than anyone
what do you want me to do?
he asks
die
you whisper under your breath
diiie
but not loud enough for him to hear
like there's a pane of glass standing between you
is that glass bullet proof?

Medusa

wasn't liked as a child
not on the playground
or in the classroom
she always cried
walked home alone
a book bag over one shoulder
just a late bloomer
they said
but didn't really mean it

she met a boy once
who called her up
and told her she was ugly
that her hair was nappy
later
she cried listening to the dial tone

unable to sleep
body wrapped in sheets
like a corpse
she tore with her nails
all of them dull from being bitten short
at her face
at her hair

when she was older
she left town
moved east
she lived there for a while
collected little porcelain figurines
animals and men
until the house was full of them
but the more she got
the more empty the place seemed

finally a man did show up
the first person really interested in her
for who she really was
she almost cried tears of joy
when she suddenly saw
that he would not look her in the eyes
before she could speak
he cut off her head

no one missed her much