http://www.lipscurvesandwords.com

i was going through old files tonight, and i found two of my favorite poems from my favorite mr. jeffrey mcdaniel. he’s ridiculously talented, and these two poems, specifically… make me smile like no other.

even though lately… i’ve been unexpectedly happy anyway ;)

Caracas
I wish slitting the wrists of
the clock
would let this moment last forever–

your tongue is so deep in my ear
it feels like a paintbrush, coating

the dark, peeling walls inside my head
with a carmine veneer. I was expecting

you to run, when you saw the cartilage
in the closet. I was prepared to chase

after and whisper you have beautiful
footsteps, when the truth is you make

my toes tingle like the capital of Venezuela.
I know loving me isn’t easy–the all-night

helicopter parties, the glow-in-the-dark
haircuts, but when I look at you

it’s like praying with my eyes. I know
it’s stupid to not own a gun yet have

so many triggers, but in some other world
gigantic seashells hold humans

to their ears and listen to the echo
of machines. I apologize for the fossils

growing on the dishes, how the rug is covered
with cocktail umbrellas when you wake up,

it was raining margaritas, and the stars
came on backwards last night.
Jeffrey McDaniel

The Quiet World

In an effort to get people to look
into each other’s eyes more,
and also to appease the mutes,
the government has decided
to allot each person exactly one hundred
and sixty-seven words, per day.

When the phone rings, I put it to my ear
without saying hello. In the restaurant
I point at chicken noodle soup.
I am adjusting well to the new way.

Late at night, I call my long distance lover,
proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.
I saved the rest for you.

When she doesn’t respond,
I know she’s used up all her words,
so I slowly whisper I love you
thirty-two and a third times.
After that, we just sit on the line
and listen to each other breathe.
Jeffrey McDaniel

so damn amazing.