Like World Poor, Phone Poems

3 poems written on iPhone Notes in the Fall and Winter of 2021

3 — Poem

The Madonna 

The warm wet smell

All the emojis 

Felling like 

Mouths 

My heart 

My blood

This is my wine  

The god of poor people 

Children making messes 

Picking them up 

The heart

The lightning heart 

On the floor 

Sweep in the morning 

Light 

Typing with thumbs 

I miss her back in the poem 

All the years end

Where is occupy?

Remember we saw them living in a building in Olympia?

Then you drew tongues eating acid in Florence 

Or Rome?

Did we live there?

I remember the afternoon

You had all the love and art and we stole the pictures 

Only coming by trains 

Only home wasn’t there 

Haven’t found the town we were looking for

And all you all alone

Giving birth in the forests

Where was I when the wind knocked down the tree

That knocked down the deck?

I thought the house would fall down the hill

We packed up and drove across the country

Then drove back

Then left again

You ran into the bedroom and laughed and I laughed 

The god of trees 

Is the same goddess of people

Poor and brilliant 

Building paper stars

Paper hearts

The mother of hearts 

Music mother 

The mother god, lovingly 

On a video call

She asks 

What happened to the middle of the country? 

They knocked down 

Every goddamn tree 

Continue, quickly

Lamp light

The heart 

The wine 

It is my blood, lamp light 

Continued 

Play the violin 

Okay the piano 

Play the drums in the basement 

Insulate the basement 

Come over here 

The rings and knots in the hair 

Jackets on the chair need hung up, hold on 

I’ll clean up the kitchen 

2 — Like World Poor

Hanging up your documents 

Sending emails to the state 

Return service required 

Signature to confirm you

Violated your benefits 

Neglected to report your income 

$300 

You should have told them 

You make $1,300

Not $1,000

You lied 

Food 

Bank

Is closed 

For the day 

Fucking loan service calling 

Google full-time 

Above shit wage 

Ask how to leave America 

Ask

How to live here 

Where is the best city for poor people? 

Like world poor 

Moving by bus 

Packing up house

Waiting for a text 

Crossing countries for another dollar an hour 

Past due payment 

Agree to terms 

How much money is in the world?

$14 an hour?

$18 an hour?

Bad luck 

Could be worse 

Try harder 

Drink less 

Organize 

Last month 

3 people died outside in Montpelier 

$19 an hour 

$20 an hour 

EBT

Application filled out wrong 

You drove an hour to get here that’s on your time 

Fucking anxious 

Dream job

Don’t 

Dance to it 

Full heart empty stomach 

Empty text 

Internet shut off

Night shopping 

Pay with two cards one denied 

Split with quarters

Snow 

Snow 

Snow 

Snow snow slowed the strike vote wrong shoes 

Wet cold 

Wet night 

Waiting for an email 

Application is missing info

Kissing 

Missing kissing 

Making dinner 

Radio fuzzy 

Like laughing at it 

Like getting in the wool blanket 

Like world blanket 

Like world poor

1 — Poem

Absurd

Theatre 

Full moon injustice 

Free like unfree 

Jury of peers 

Victim judge 

Don’t say victim

Say looters, robbers, boy with skateboard

Cry picture 

Everyone else 

So 

Many 

Cops

Property damage

Cry for it, the dead buildings 

Power skin 

Ugly hate summer 

Cold boys win

Look outside 

Arms like trees like hearts all twisted 

And arrested