168 Readings | 4 Ratings
Fever 100
Not quite Ariel but sick
tooth to toe. Tell me
madam nausea, how
does my fever grow?
You’ve measured the breadth
of my brain by the stove
and asked the obvious questions—
start with hangover, stop
with flu, add poison,
a tincture of nerves. I’m dizzy
with dew and feathered
as a wish. My dreams
furrow farther until I’m nothing
but a nest. My chest is a child
who takes one whiff of dinner and erupts.
You want me to float like a circus balloon
so I’m trying my nylon best.
Look at me now. Can I touch
the ceiling yet?
My cheeks are putty, an imprecious
mask, and I wouldn’t notice
an air goddess
if she sat on my back
and blew. Sylvia’s fevers
made her clean as a fresh sheet
and terrible as being wrong.
I’m just an afternoon
with her PJs still on.
tooth to toe. Tell me
madam nausea, how
does my fever grow?
You’ve measured the breadth
of my brain by the stove
and asked the obvious questions—
start with hangover, stop
with flu, add poison,
a tincture of nerves. I’m dizzy
with dew and feathered
as a wish. My dreams
furrow farther until I’m nothing
but a nest. My chest is a child
who takes one whiff of dinner and erupts.
You want me to float like a circus balloon
so I’m trying my nylon best.
Look at me now. Can I touch
the ceiling yet?
My cheeks are putty, an imprecious
mask, and I wouldn’t notice
an air goddess
if she sat on my back
and blew. Sylvia’s fevers
made her clean as a fresh sheet
and terrible as being wrong.
I’m just an afternoon
with her PJs still on.
Posted 03/03/10