Yury Tarnawsky - from This is How I get well

Lump of Glass

For my thirty-eighth birthday a man
gave me a lump of purple glass.
I'd never seen him before.
"Mister,"
I said,
"why are you giving it to me?" He said nothing.
He only smiled
in an embarrassed way
and shrugged his shoulders.

-

Chicago O’Hare

Sunday afternoon on the plane, waiting

to fly out of Chicago

O'Hare,

my mind is full of

thoughts of Frank O’Hara and the

smell of aviation

oil, would like to

see my girl friend on arriving, she’s

entertaining some unknown

scientist at her

home today, the plane will

touch the ground like a man his

wounded heart with his

fingers, I'll get into my

car, cold like the stares of the

passers by, will I call

her, will our love,

relationship last

forever, on my left, beyond

the empty seat, a pregnant

girl sits holding her bulging

belly with the soft

white safety belts of

her hands protecting a

life, who'll protect

mine?

-

Love

Three weeks ago

I still believed in love,

I went for a walk with her

in the woods, autumn-

gold on that February 

afternoon, took 

pictures of her to

frame and kneel 

before when 

she'd be away.

-

End of the World

Have driven

across the bridge

effortlessly,

without having to pay

a toll,

like blood

coming

out of a vein,

the car

tumbles along the concrete as if through space, other cars, trucks tumble past me, some hundred yards ahead where the darkness starts a sign

in red, blue, and white

on a green

background

proclaims:

INTERSTATE

80 WEST

RT 17 NEWARK

EXIT

1/2 MILE.