my nirvana poem

Tonight I'll be in a show called Mashed Poetics #2 - Nirvana's Nevermind, at the Cottage Bistro on Main Street in Vancouver. The show is at 9:30 (doors 8:30). A band will play all of the songs from the Nevermind album, and poets will perform works inspired by the songs. I drew "In Bloom." Here's the poem that I will bring to the evening:

pretty
pretty
pretty
she sits, still as blank sky
scorned, scarred, ignored, scared
ready to hitch her hopes
to the first dustbowl prophet or
cactus-pawed sandboot hustler who looks her way
without choking
why
why
while she waits
cross-stitches sugarbag homilies
like ANOMIE IS THE ENEMY

he is some affliction
sunset-eyed ambush cat
pole-headed, razor-bucket, daylight glam-bazzler
for a day, or three, she takes him for all that
sweet grass hell-smudge saddle callus
hip as glass-bevel pillow plank
takes her down to the creek to see
pussy
pussy
pussy willow in the marsh
pretty
pretty
pretty

she is his hop-toad guide dog
panting melt-bellied on the floor
dodging boots and table legs
addicted to his clues
which
which
which way now?

in the dark, he whispers
no
no
nobody warm as you
don't ever change
tells herself, she don't believe his
yeah, yeah, yeah
tells herself, she is no
modest proposal
no spider web wedding feast
no house filled with parting gifts
for comfort, cedar chest eiderdown
stuffed with finishing nails and snap turtles
she weeps
soft
soft
soft
he is holding me down
pretty
pretty
pretty

she sits, still as blank sky
ready for
belly bullet blood blossom blue bottle
BAM bath
no
no
no side for taking
no place to hook a claw
toe-holds stuffed full with sad socks
crank-handled spring levers
don't jump
don't jump
don't jump
nothing to push against
just slide to the bottom, it's another day

she remembers
sweet hunger of loving unloveable
sting of self revelation
pretty
pretty
pretty
she sits, still as blank sky
but now, she
rat
rat
rattles, like a penny in a can