Theresa Sotto
4 poems
**
at the hem
of the table skirt
many bottlecaps
....................to splash around in
.................................................................................heels, what are heels
.................................................................................when they’re higher than toes
.................................................................................what are feet
........................................................................when toes cringe around
........................................................................the chair legs
**
celebration
at the hem
of the table skirt
many bottlecaps
....................to splash around in
I will dance
and you will dance
and then we will
be dancing
and you will dance
and then we will
be dancing
over there the people
go slipping into spaces
their bodies fit into
their clothes
engaging a little
more room
go slipping into spaces
their bodies fit into
their clothes
engaging a little
more room
.................................................................................heels, what are heels
.................................................................................when they’re higher than toes
.................................................................................what are feet
........................................................................when toes cringe around
........................................................................the chair legs
<hello.........................................
yes?........................................
oh hello>...................................
yes?........................................
oh hello>...................................
in this slouching
posture a tender smear on
the wall my hands tucked
into the little napoleons
each sweet bit accounted for
everyone lovely looking
and there
........how did you know
........my interest in rooms?>
........if the chair had a cushion
........at its back if the cushion
........was soft if softness felt like this
........if the edges were soft
........when I watch them
here is a portion of the grass
I am standing on
my socks damp at the ankles
here is a shape
I’ve found my feet into
a shape I’ve constructed is
here
It was a nice weekend
yes it was a good movie our bike ride quite
yes it was a quite nice bike ride to the movies yes an alright movie
the movie looked good alright so moving a lovely ride
in the movies the lovelies looked good as usual the viewers moved and
I only so-so
yes a good-looking day to play nice at the movies to be so-so and
usual to be rapt with the view
I was rapt with the looking all day at the promenade I went playing
for whatever and usually
yes it is usual for weather at the promenade the playthings
gift-wrapped and a tip jar
and the terribly good-looking at play on the promenade their gift
wrapping jarring as per usual
what a usual view of the promenade what a scene quickly terrible
I can move quickly without all the terrible looking yes I have been
so-so with all the lovelies
**
Do you have lunch plans
sorry I just dashed out for lunch
sorry I carried out my lunch and dashed
I carried out my sorry plans at lunch
sorry we lunched at the carry out
we'll carry our plans to the work lunch
sorry I worked out instead of lunch
I worked out plans to lunch with so and so
I've planned a so-so lunch for all
I've planned for all to lunch where I'm not lunching with so and so
chef so and so planned a lunch for all supposedly
did so and so okay our plans to order at the corner
did you see so and so lunching with so and so in the corner
I'm so sorry something came up from the corner
I'm sorry your corner didn't come up
I'm sorry I'm all cornered up
**
We'll be there
so long as I am here and you are there I am here
so long as I am here and you are there we are together and not there
so long as I am here are we are here together you are there and we are here
so long as we are here together then you are not together with us
so long as the togetherness is lasting my hereness is what I'm after
not the reaching after the you not here
should our togetherness not be lasting I am still here now the here
and now that many are away from
so long as many are away I am concerned with the here and now
so long as I'm concerned with the here and now I am not concerned with
the then over there
if then is a major concern likely I would not be here or now with you
here and now
if hereness is what I'm after it is what I am doing that feels funny
so long as feeling funny is not lasting I am fine with the goings on
and the funny
so long as some goings on are lasting I am fine being here I am fine
being here and not there
so long as both the here and there are funny I am fine with the here and now
**
return to Sawbuck 1.7
**
Theresa Sotto lives and works in Santa Monica, CA. Her poems have been published or are forthcoming in POOL, No Tell Motel, Spinning Jenny, Coconut, Shampoo, Typo, Word For/Word, and others. Chapbooks of her poems are forthcoming in the Coconut Chapbook Series and in AchioteSeeds.
posture a tender smear on
the wall my hands tucked
into the little napoleons
each sweet bit accounted for
everyone lovely looking
and there
........<where is the rest
........room
........room
........how did you know
........my interest in rooms?>
when you spin me
I am spinning
when you spin me
I am spinning
when you spin me
........if the chair had a cushion
........at its back if the cushion
........was soft if softness felt like this
........if the edges were soft
........when I watch them
here is a portion of the grass
I am standing on
my socks damp at the ankles
here is a shape
I’ve found my feet into
a shape I’ve constructed is
here
under the tent
much carousing....tumblers
your orange shirt
night is a scrim I pull
down........darkened stagelights
your orange shirt....skipping around
staying there
much carousing....tumblers
your orange shirt
night is a scrim I pull
down........darkened stagelights
your orange shirt....skipping around
staying there
this late in the evening
and my hair has collapsed.
the feeling is..................
characteristic.....................
I gather my hair it is frizzy.....
and I go into it scratching.......
**and my hair has collapsed.
the feeling is..................
characteristic.....................
I gather my hair it is frizzy.....
and I go into it scratching.......
It was a nice weekend
yes it was a good movie our bike ride quite
yes it was a quite nice bike ride to the movies yes an alright movie
the movie looked good alright so moving a lovely ride
in the movies the lovelies looked good as usual the viewers moved and
I only so-so
yes a good-looking day to play nice at the movies to be so-so and
usual to be rapt with the view
I was rapt with the looking all day at the promenade I went playing
for whatever and usually
yes it is usual for weather at the promenade the playthings
gift-wrapped and a tip jar
and the terribly good-looking at play on the promenade their gift
wrapping jarring as per usual
what a usual view of the promenade what a scene quickly terrible
I can move quickly without all the terrible looking yes I have been
so-so with all the lovelies
**
Do you have lunch plans
sorry I just dashed out for lunch
sorry I carried out my lunch and dashed
I carried out my sorry plans at lunch
sorry we lunched at the carry out
we'll carry our plans to the work lunch
sorry I worked out instead of lunch
I worked out plans to lunch with so and so
I've planned a so-so lunch for all
I've planned for all to lunch where I'm not lunching with so and so
chef so and so planned a lunch for all supposedly
did so and so okay our plans to order at the corner
did you see so and so lunching with so and so in the corner
I'm so sorry something came up from the corner
I'm sorry your corner didn't come up
I'm sorry I'm all cornered up
**
We'll be there
so long as I am here and you are there I am here
so long as I am here and you are there we are together and not there
so long as I am here are we are here together you are there and we are here
so long as we are here together then you are not together with us
so long as the togetherness is lasting my hereness is what I'm after
not the reaching after the you not here
should our togetherness not be lasting I am still here now the here
and now that many are away from
so long as many are away I am concerned with the here and now
so long as I'm concerned with the here and now I am not concerned with
the then over there
if then is a major concern likely I would not be here or now with you
here and now
if hereness is what I'm after it is what I am doing that feels funny
so long as feeling funny is not lasting I am fine with the goings on
and the funny
so long as some goings on are lasting I am fine being here I am fine
being here and not there
so long as both the here and there are funny I am fine with the here and now
**
return to Sawbuck 1.7
**
Theresa Sotto lives and works in Santa Monica, CA. Her poems have been published or are forthcoming in POOL, No Tell Motel, Spinning Jenny, Coconut, Shampoo, Typo, Word For/Word, and others. Chapbooks of her poems are forthcoming in the Coconut Chapbook Series and in AchioteSeeds.
