Friday, November 2, 2012

Poetry Friday--"Eating Poetry"


Being a librarian, this poem disturbs me slightly. But, if I ignore my librarian side, I can read it and laugh!
Eating Poetry
by Mark Strand

Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.

The librarian does not believe what she sees.
Her eyes are sad
and she walks with her hands in her dress.

The poems are gone.
The light is dim.
The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up.

Their eyeballs roll,
their blond legs burn like brush.
The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep.

She does not understand.
When I get on my knees and lick her hand,
she screams.

I am a new man.
I snarl at her and bark.
I romp with joy in the bookish dark.
The dogs are following the trail to Mainely Write where there's plenty of poetry to sink their teeth into!

Photo © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

7 comments:

Ruth said...

Poor librarian! Some people are just driven mad by poetry...

I'm Jet . . . said...

I romp with joy in the bookish dark!

Matt Forrest Esenwine said...

I love the fist line, because it presents so many different images!

laurasalas said...

I love this! So primal and fun!

Linda said...

I've always loved this poem since I first read it. The dog photo work great with it!

Mary Lee said...

Yum!

Donna Smith said...

It's an odd poem. I have had to read it a number of times. I'll try again tomorrow. Sometimes I have to walk away from a poem for a while. When I return perhaps I will drool and want to lick a hand too