Two Poems by Jill Khoury

For Weeks I Have Been Waiting for Something Pleasant to Write About

But to no avail, so
I clipped some items from the daily paper
When I come across these items I send them on

It’s better than talking about the goddamn weather
I am a clipper
I don’t keep at it too long

It’s funny that there are 203 other families in here
But I feel all alone
Feel free to call me any time you want to chat

I thought the enclosed news would be of interest
The clipping refers to an article in our local paper
I thought of our trip to England—do you recall this place?

Looking through the paper the other day, I came across this picture
I love historical stories
Enclosed is a token of my love

Cody has been naughty and sleeps on her bed while your mom is at work
On the subject of animals, I send you some coupons for your kitties
No obligation, I sent them just in case

Give me an idea of things you use
I’ll send you some of those also
I’ll be in touch more now that I know where to find you

Omens

These particular clouds,
how they twist above the optimistic
parklet.
The one
skimming toward me
looks like a cloven foot.

This morning I took an online quiz and it
said I should either be a psychopath
or dead.

Some of cults I am not
a part of:
                cult of toddler adoration and appeasement,
                cult of house-in-suburbs,
                cult of go to church to gossip and meet your future ex.

I wonder if they will still have me,
late,
under false pretenses.

I stand embedded in ground
and cloud
as the foot
becomes bird beak, open
umbrella.
I am below low,
profoundly down,
subaqueous.

What I mean is
I fix my
dry eyes into the glare
and wind
to tear them up.
The cloud frays,
dissipates.
I wonder
about this particular cloud—
also—
if anyone I like
likes me back.

Editor-in-chief of Rogue Agent, a journal of embodied poetry and art, Jill Khoury earned her Master of Fine Arts from The Ohio State University. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in numerous journals, including Inter|rupture, RHINO, Bone Bouquet, diode, Posit, DATABLEED, Deaf Poets’ Society, and Copper Nickel. She works with the Western PA Writing Project as a teacher in the Young Writer’s Institute, and also reads audio for Wordgathering: A Journal of Disability Poetry and Literature. Her first full-length volume of poetry, Suites for the Modern Dancer, is available from Sundress Publications, and she has a chapbook, Chance Operations, a surrealist take on living with chronic pain, from Paper Nautilus. She tweets @sundaygray and @rogueagentj

Image: pawankawan, morguefile.com

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