Diana Darby ** "I V" ** Intravenous

Eating Meatloaf with a Spoon

Waking up
squirrel
not just
black
or paper files
but amp loud
eagle.
The way lamp face stares
at you
when you’re hungry
and alone
in a new world.
How could it be
crying
furniture
in three corpses?
The old lady in the cafeteria
eating meat loaf with a spoon.
The dog lapping at the pail
cold
as a museum.
You think I want to end up like that?
I am delicate.
I am the Victorian
house
of rare antiques.
No mouth.
No birds.
No summer.
I remember Santa Monica,
Polly’s pies
and walks on the beach.
That was before my dog
and Tennessee.
That was before I learned to
hide my heart.
Yes,
once upon a time
I was.