What Makes It

 

 

"Give me answers." she said,

"Put them in a little brown

paperbag and write my name on it.

Don't forget to fill, with grins and crossed-eyes,

all the circles. Be Creative. Turn the bag

down carefully, so I can hold it tight and let

my sweaty hands wear it crinkled and thin.

So thin I can almost see through it.

Thin like the crotch of my Levi's.

Thin like that rock singers hair. (You know the one.

 Thin like old alibis.                        The one with the voice that cracks.

Thin like the ice crunch                        The voice that cracks

     'tween your teeth.                                like Georgia Spruce.)

Thin like the night air high

     on a starry mountain top.

The kind of thin that only true love

     can wear out and still feel good about."

"Give me Answers," she said.

     "I'll take care of the questions latter on.

          I'll take 'em out one by one by one.

               Maybe trade for what's in anothers bag. (Chocolate chip

                                      philosophy for

                                      peanut butter

                                      factors.)

Answers. 

Answers are what I want.  

 

Answers and a Hi-C drink box, please."

Author's Note

For some reason I can't fix the format on this. The last parenthetical statement should be grouped
together under "Chocolate chip" rather than being center justified.

If you would like to see a video of this poem go here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI2Z_D9F6Eo

Reviews

[mick weller]

The dialogue/monologue presentation of this is a bit confusing...
but then maybe it's intentional...

- like what's going on
"I'll take care of the questions lat(t?)er on.
I'll take 'em out one by one by one."
...'tis neat
thanks Em

[JG]

This is unique Cah. Trading sac lunches full of googly eyes. Nice. I did get a little lost in the structure. It was hard to figure out what was going on with those parentheticals--but then you did say this isn't the propper format. I would like to see this as it was intended. Cheers J.

[Emily B]

she wants answers. sometimes she finds them in the most unlikely places. sometimes she finds them with a hi-c box. Oh, this is good stuff. Good stuff.

[Let Me Write]

This is INCREDIBLE! I am rendered speechless...

[jaime]

ok, when I read this I think of a myself as child, with wide eyes, taking the words of my parents and chewing on them. They made sense in their sensible, comfortable brown bag packaging. But after time, and after exchanging "lunches" with others in the world...I begin to see through the things I don't agree with...after my own personal experiences. I begin to "make my own lunch"...

Again, I could go on and on about this.