THREE POEMS by Joseph Grantham
in the tub
quaint sounds of non-rain
outside bathroom window
cat orbiting rim of tub until close call slip
murmur of tenants above me
failing to articulate why a german writer
does a german thingamajig in his german
short story but this is after i’m out of the bath
in the bed now tired of going to work tomorrow
inability to write something specific
about something generic, take something
like ‘something,’ four times in a poem, ‘german’ three (now four),
brushed teeth hours ago, feel the need to brush them again
the way the book bends to the right
irritates me to no end, the end
i saw your baby
what is his name
he doesn’t look happy
what are you doing
why doesn’t your baby look happy
i saw your husband
i don’t understand why he looks like that
do you love him
he was sitting in a chair when i saw him
where did you go
two mantras
1.
My life is small and full of purchases and one day it will end.
Spread peanut butter over cinnamon raisin bagel.
2.
You can listen to music on Youtube before you die.
Sit in bed with the cats until your clothes are dry.
(8/16/23)
Joseph Grantham is the author of Tom Sawyer (CCM Press, 2018) and Raking Leaves (Holler Presents, 2019). His writing has appeared in the Southwest Review, Bennington Review, New York Tyrant Magazine, Autre Magazine, The Creative Independent, and elsewhere.