Ernest Hemingway Is on My Mind

©2005 Ann Menebroker
Ernest Hemingway is on my mind. 
I think he was a big man 
and pretty good at writing. 
I think he lived as big as he was 
because if he slowed down 
he might have run over himself. 
I think he turned around only once.

John

©2005 Ann Menebroker
was going to be a priest. 
He also taught history and he 
loved philosophy, especially 
Heidegger. 
John fell in love and chased her 
from east to west coast. 
Married and divorced.  No kids. 
Did handyman chores.  Owned a 
restaurant with a partner. 
It went bankrupt. 
Ran away a lot. 
Worked in the mountains. 
Came back to this small river town 
where he now stays in a tiny 
cabin and is a garbage collector. 
He still reads Heidegger. 
He drinks dry martinis. 
He once gave me an identification 
bracelet without a name on it. 
That is the real story 
of John.

Deadly Cure

©2005 Ann Menebroker
why do you deny yourself 
being alive? 

the steady drone of bees 
spills out of your eyes 

you are a worker 
educated to caution 
conservative as a bow-tie 

who has told you 
this is the way of the world? 
wo has drawn the map? 

nightly I dream of magic 
and its invasion 

only to find the world 
has discovered another vaccine

Focus

©2005 Ann Menebroker
the scene is the ocean 
and a wave of it 
slapping against a small boat 
knocking out a father 
and his two children 
curtain down 
green and green and green 
the performers 
will not come up 
for  a curtain call
[click to view introduction]