Punctilio - Joe Mazza
She wanted to break the rules
rearrange the living room
put a big crack
in the neurotic mirror
of her mother's house beautiful
She wanted dust to accrue
and love to accumulate
to dance naked with Isadora Duncan
die flaming with Sarah Bernhardt
never be afraid of anything or anyone
She wanted pancakes for supper
a yard full of honeysuckle
life in another language
and who the hell cared if it was perfect
perfect what was perfect what was perfect
was perfect
was perfect
was always perfect
what was not
was punctiglio
FJ Bertuch (1747–1822)
I first had to save my body
and now I'm working on saving my soul
Two years ago I packed my poetry into a box
a few pictures of my sons
some books, my favorite film
and I ran away from sixteen years
of pain and illness
I hurt a lot of people in the process
the man I'd lived with for twenty years
my children, my mother
Even today, none of them understand it
They've forgotten about my suffering
and I realize now they never grasped it
If I had stayed, I would still be on
seven medications, counting the infernal days
waiting to die, in constant pain
But I saved my life
rose from the ashes
flew to Greece
threw the bag of meds in the trash
swam in the healing waters of Thermopyles
and tried to forgive myself
