<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Cleaning Up After the Poetry Salon </div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">It's not always easy.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Proper nouns are manageable. </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">They stack well.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Biggest on the bottom -</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">The Great Plains, Idaho, Mt. Rainier -</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">then the smaller stuff left behind -</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Boxcars, photographs, you know.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Adjectives are remarkably tough to clean up.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">The dry ones catch on the furniture,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> bury themselves in cracks</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">hide in the pocket of an old sweater.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">They crumble to awkward, ungainly,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">unmanageable, yes fragile</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">pieces …that somehow cunningly avoid</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">the shedding broom some poet has</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">left behind.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">And wet ones like <i class="">sticky</i> and <i class="">slimy</i> - yikes!</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Cleaning up the leavings of Wendell Berry?</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">it's a grange meeting hall.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Rich black dirt everywhere,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">corn stalks, the lingering thick odor of</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">compost and just a hint of cow manure</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">on your shoes and your best carpet.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">And Jesus! Those poems about stars -</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">the poets have no idea.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> Whole constellations left behind -</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> Watch it with the Pleides, they have sharp points</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> And yes, the Dog Star does bite.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">My rule would be -</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">you brought 'em, you take 'em home.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Food is good in a poem.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Mom's apple pie and romantic dinners for two</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">are usually digested by the salon - no leftovers.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> It's the ethnic dishes with strange names</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> luedafisk, sauerkraut, gefiltafish</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> and anything made with hot peppers</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> Well, you know.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Poets - a little consideration -</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">slip in some sponges, maybe</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">a mop or really - just a mouthful of food,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">a spoonful -</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">yes, spoons for everybody.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">And come on,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">no animals bigger than a cat or small dog.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> polar bears and coyotes are disasters.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Oh I could go on…</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">mixed metaphors sliding</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">down the walls and tangled</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">in the drapes.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Cliches hiding their heads in the corners.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">shy, embarrassed marmots standing by dead seals.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">stinking sea weed and sharks behind the sofa</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">And fish - fish beyond number -</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">flopping on the floor. </div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Verbs are easy - they move around</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">so much - just</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">open the door and they</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">take care of themselves.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">But poets,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">It's the birds left behind…</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> Egret, Robin, wrens, a flock of seagulls, </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">a murder of crows…</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">For God's sake leave a window open.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">But eagle, oh my friends, the eagle</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">he glowers there</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">from the chandelier</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Royally pissed!</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">A moment in a poem</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> then forgotten</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> in the closed room.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">I know, I know.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">I'm making a new mess now - </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">I'll need some help here with</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Idaho and that eagle.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">For the rest</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">I brought 'em. </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">I'll take 'em home.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Doug von Koss</div></body></html>