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"Molehills for Painted People" by Shannon Bohnen

i am statuary
how do they see you
event planner, bubble buster
shy guy with glasses

do they think you smart or
are you holding back?

i am made to poke

prod
mislead
goad you into directions
unseen

i’m a curmudgeon at christmas
but i’ll bake you a cake

carve fugue state dreamscapes
into small boxes
for you to take home
and put dice in

lizard skeletons
rocks
whathaveyou

—

there are numbers
created for counting
two by two
and three for four

how many steps ’til you reach your goal

or was it yours?
to begin with

there’s no pinocchio
‘ing
your way out of this
you are who they made you
created to fake

—

I KNOW WHAT I AM

i am drama
there are ants in my pants
and they are huge

this molehill done been built skyhigh
by yours true

my painted-on eyes will follow you
as you move about a room

you can’t mistake me
for a fly buzzing

i’ll say what
what what
until you close the door
and fall asleep