12 poems
David Fishkind
the river moves calmly in the morning
everyday i wash my face twice
i lay sideways and sleep
to take control
i think
i will put my head down on this counter here
like this, i think
i take control
my sister never exactly told me what to do
with her voice i mean
but she motioned to it
purple cactus
it looks soft in my memory
cactuses were on sale
at whole foods
for $6.95
i imagined you holding me
my father’s head is so hollow and well clothed
this is what i think
while touching my own head
in my mind i have made changes
toward happiness
until i can control my heart rate by thinking ‘control’
i cannot stop
sometimes i feel surprised at the way i look at someone
whom i love
the caffeine from a cup of coffee
is more than the caffeine in red bull, i read
while studying
indian politics, i thought, and took a nyquil
it was cold then
the simplicity of my penis
why couldn’t i see it
when i look out at the people
all the people
why don’t they see it like i do now
we make choices every day
i sit calmly
all the goddamn time
my wrists and your soft wrists
i watched your breasts breathing through your t-shirt
we were on the couch
our body parts
they were like a cup of coffee