William C. Blome- Three Poems

William C. Blome writes poetry and short fiction. He lives wedged between Baltimore and Washington, DC, and he is a master’s degree graduate of the Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars. His work has previously seen the light of day in such fine little mags as The Alembic, Amarillo Bay, Prism International, Fiction Southeast, Roanoke Review, Salted Feathers and The California Quarterly.

I’D LOVE TO FALL ASLEEP IN NO TIME FLAT

I’d love to fall asleep in no time flat

on a Mexican girl with big, soft arms and a snug-fitting,

fuchsia beret in siesta. Why is it everyone but you thinks

I could be a success—could make a decent go of it—

selling little jet engines in the capital of Belize? Why,

I’m still stepping on marbles in the den;

you know, from the evening you flipped the Chinese

checkers board over in growing and overflowing ecstasy

that a pilot was landing his hand in your blouse

and wouldn’t come to a stop until he’d taxied all the way

down to your navel. When I went to court last week,

everyone had to wait for better than an hour

before some crew-cut, white-haired judge finally made

his stiff appearance, and his smelly, lame excuse was that

he’d had all kinds of chores to do and errands to run

before “the missus would let me come to court.”

MY LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY

No, I’m okay waiting for you, I really am,

Because from where I recline,

I can look outside and watch a scorpion’s

Trajectory project into my sun parlor,

Even here make out the curling tail

And the stinger’s hot shadow on my wall,

Even discern the scorpion’s twin objectives:

To interrupt a green brick skyscraper’s

Regimental outline, and simultaneously

Pick apart a pigeon’s progeny.

You have to admit, my lily-of-the-valley,

These two goals easily coalesce

Into one transparent and fiery mission,

So much so I’d rather you take your time

And not show up at my daybed

Till the scorpion and its great tasks

Have clearly passed from view.

UNTITLED

O the rabbit’s got a garnet,

yeah, the rabbit out there’s garnet-ized,

and your father wants to maim me,

daddy wants to hack me up,

and a former Miss Nebraska

with butt cheeks now that just won’t quit

slips under your still-warm covers

not ten minutes since you’ve left.