Meghan Punschke
2 poems
**
Choices and Decisions
The glitter of midnight city lights
may resemble the morning sun on
an April pond—but I wouldn’t know.
......................................I never lived by a pond…
I had an aquarium once. My pink
Princess fish, Sylvia, gave birth to forty
babies and immediately ate half of them.
......................................An abortion by Natural Selection
Now, I can concentrate on the steady
hum of the power lines, until that whir
turns into the click of the cicada. Here,
......................................there is no such thing as silent.
A variety of squirrels can easily call this
mortared forest home, for we are the ones
wedged in a concrete honeycomb— where
......................................I have been caught with a cattle prod.
I have since spent days cartographically
comparing a corn maze to a street grid.
And to my chagrin, I have found that
......................................There .is ..no prize to be won.
**
Didn’t You Get the Memo?
Subject: The legal system is not a suitable substitute for Karma
Human cages are made out of concrete.
Defeat is a supplemental income.
The excess has all of the side effects
of stress, and lacks a solid alibi,
or definition. They are erecting
them anyway— Strongholds for slim witted
cabarets—dancing carcasses who peep
through one-way mirrors, but slots for tipping
are nowhere near this supervised function.
And, there is clearly no room for respite…
Participants are kept in check with regret.
You see, the building’s run by the Architects.
They spin yarn to weave protective mittens
for their over-privileged children, and then chide
your winter hat and wool twin-set, only
to steal them for mistresses. It’s always some
asshole in blue pinstripes or gabardine
nailing someone else’s wife. So, who needs
saving when there’s no probity to protect?
And, who will object as long as that loan
comes on payday? (You do know that it is
not your money to keep… because next week
it will be back in corporate pockets.) Why
then, do they do, what you would do, but I
refuse?… Because principles seem sturdy.
And, they may be, but who mans Integrity?
It’s not presidents, partners or project
managers… because they operate within
tight systems of grand statements with missions.
But, Morals are irreplaceable jewels, once
removed they can’t be misidentified
as shiny glass, mere refined crystal bits.
And yet, they will continue adorning
themselves with those glitzy jagged affects,
as if Repercussion has no meaning.
**
return to sawbuck 1.x
**
Meghan Punschke is the author of Stratification (BlazeVox Books, 2007). She resides in New York City, and has an MFA in Poetry from The New School. She is the curator and host of Word of Mouth, a reading series on the Lower East Side dedicated to poets and fiction writers. She is also the Poetry Editor for MiPOesias. Punschke recently edited OCHO #13, which can be purchased at Lulu online. Her poetry can be found in MiPO, No Tell Motel, Coconut and more. Further info is available at www.megpunschke.com.
**
Choices and Decisions
The glitter of midnight city lights
may resemble the morning sun on
an April pond—but I wouldn’t know.
......................................I never lived by a pond…
I had an aquarium once. My pink
Princess fish, Sylvia, gave birth to forty
babies and immediately ate half of them.
......................................An abortion by Natural Selection
Now, I can concentrate on the steady
hum of the power lines, until that whir
turns into the click of the cicada. Here,
......................................there is no such thing as silent.
A variety of squirrels can easily call this
mortared forest home, for we are the ones
wedged in a concrete honeycomb— where
......................................I have been caught with a cattle prod.
I have since spent days cartographically
comparing a corn maze to a street grid.
And to my chagrin, I have found that
......................................There .is ..no prize to be won.
**
Didn’t You Get the Memo?
Subject: The legal system is not a suitable substitute for Karma
Human cages are made out of concrete.
Defeat is a supplemental income.
The excess has all of the side effects
of stress, and lacks a solid alibi,
or definition. They are erecting
them anyway— Strongholds for slim witted
cabarets—dancing carcasses who peep
through one-way mirrors, but slots for tipping
are nowhere near this supervised function.
And, there is clearly no room for respite…
Participants are kept in check with regret.
You see, the building’s run by the Architects.
They spin yarn to weave protective mittens
for their over-privileged children, and then chide
your winter hat and wool twin-set, only
to steal them for mistresses. It’s always some
asshole in blue pinstripes or gabardine
nailing someone else’s wife. So, who needs
saving when there’s no probity to protect?
And, who will object as long as that loan
comes on payday? (You do know that it is
not your money to keep… because next week
it will be back in corporate pockets.) Why
then, do they do, what you would do, but I
refuse?… Because principles seem sturdy.
And, they may be, but who mans Integrity?
It’s not presidents, partners or project
managers… because they operate within
tight systems of grand statements with missions.
But, Morals are irreplaceable jewels, once
removed they can’t be misidentified
as shiny glass, mere refined crystal bits.
And yet, they will continue adorning
themselves with those glitzy jagged affects,
as if Repercussion has no meaning.
**
return to sawbuck 1.x
**
Meghan Punschke is the author of Stratification (BlazeVox Books, 2007). She resides in New York City, and has an MFA in Poetry from The New School. She is the curator and host of Word of Mouth, a reading series on the Lower East Side dedicated to poets and fiction writers. She is also the Poetry Editor for MiPOesias. Punschke recently edited OCHO #13, which can be purchased at Lulu online. Her poetry can be found in MiPO, No Tell Motel, Coconut and more. Further info is available at www.megpunschke.com.
