May 20-26, 2013: Michele Bacigalupo and A.J. Huffman

Michele Bacigalupo and A.J. Huffman

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Michele Bacigalupo
mbaciga1@binghamton.edu

Bio (auto)

Michele Bacigalupo is a musician. Her music can be found here http://soundcloud.com/michelebaci. She studied English and Creative Writing at Binghamton University. She lives in Brooklyn.

The following work is Copyright © 2013, and owned by Michele Bacigalupo and may not be distributed or reprinted in any form whatsoever without written permission from the author.

Wonderland

We walked outside every day
You wore a baby pink suit
that blended with the snow
Quiet and calm, with thick
dark brown hair like an Eskimo
You would watch The Muppet Show,
and only had an appetite for Cheerios

When you learned to read, I gave you
Beatrix Potter and Nancy Drew
You were a bottomless pit
It seemed you swallowed books whole

Brimming with plans and proposals,
you wanted to live
inside an ancient
cathedral
or at the local pool

First born and independent,
you commanded all the other kids,
strict about playing board games by the rules

Each teen year brought more headaches
A series of car accidents,
the fortune you’ve spent
on concerts, converting to vegetarian
dragging your sister along

Leaving home for college,
another thing I did not dream of

Stubborn by inheritance,
I can only hope you listen
Whatever you do,
don’t walk alone
when the sky is dark

I always loved the name Michele
Dad wanted to name you Susan
He’s crazy. That’s where you get it from


A.J. Huffman
poetess222@live.com

Bio (auto)

A.J. Huffman is a poet and freelance writer in Daytona Beach, Florida. She has previously published six collections of poetry all available on Amazon.com. She has also published her work in numerous national and international literary journals. Most recently, she has accepted the position as editor for four online poetry journals for Kind of a Hurricane Press. Find more about A.J. Huffman, including additional information and links to her work at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000191382454 and https://twitter.com/#!/poetess222.

The following work is Copyright © 2013, and owned by A.J. Huffman and may not be distributed or reprinted in any form whatsoever without written permission from the author.

Acorns

Squirrel food foot
crackle squish fall
fodder for lawn
mower archaic animal
scavenge plunder famous
animation seed-
like symbol portable
………strength

I. The Divinity of Acorns

Tiny tower stuffed full of quasi-
nourishment and perception
of survival necessitated by six
months of foraging decimated
forrestscapes. Half a life
wasted in the programmed pursuit
of idolized salvation.

II. With Acorns

………………………comes scented
breath of fallen
leaves colored by chill’s tourniquet.
Parasitic rejuvenation. Full
furry cheeks scurry, regurgitate.
Pretend to fill
a hollow.

III. The Road to Acorn’s Road

is lined with broken
shells. Previously perceived as life
[saving] stock. Piles
of sanity, abandoned for better

options. Wither in the wind,
reminders that cold is more
than a number.

IV. Smelling Acorns

roasting over the [simulated] flame
of an electric fire-
place, I am transported
……………………………….to a space full
of tails. Twitching
with survival instincts, I swallow (whole)
this oversized kernel/rock. Choking
……………………………………………….out
the fear of winter’s frost.

V. In the Grace of Acorns

More than the sun smiled
this morning. Winter’s memory erased.
Hollow of stomach dissipated in the last
corner of the storage
log. Emptied
of bounty. Today the cycle
ends. Begins
………………….again.


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