Personal Hygiene

sometimes the flesh

assumes

a yearning

to sprout out

in directions

untested

 

i’ve seen my own chin

do this

on occasions 

gone meristematic

elongate like a

Hungarian salami

 

pull at it a bit too fast

and risk snapping it off

like a wad of Silly Putty

 

better yet

slice it

into poker chips

all rubberoid

like the 10^th grade fetal pig

impregnated in polymer

enjoy its silky layers

have respect for this power

don’t rape it

with the dissecting needle

or epilate it with hot wax

 

it will only grow back

Reviews

What a really good poem so bold I love the visual style of writing, (as we Dutch call it Plastic") and not like rubber, but more like what you have on the tongue, directly said.... with no shame, just provoking. With this write you remind me of one of our great Dutch writers, "Jan Wolkers' Exquisite!

[DIVYA]

Our cells keep replicating greedily, hungrily till they can, no more. Such is this powerful drive that for sometime after death, the hair and nails keep growing, regardless. I often wonder, how little the control of ourselves over our bodies, growing, dividing, multiplying, sometimes orderly, sometimes in morbidly obscene ways. This is an awesome poem in making me appreciate how helpless we are, up against nature, especially since we can't control even our own bodies.

Thank you for sharing your poetry.

[Robert Haigh]

Quite surreal, and startling in places, but an interesting write!

[. serah .]

-- i'm not sure i'm reading this piece as intended... as i'm definitely not taking it literally... -- for me, matters of the flesh have had little meaning until recently... perhaps trauma had left an almost indelible impression on 'desire'... but i have known people who can't help but take off in various directions... -- it seems like they're looking for something outside themselves which they cannot find... -- on the other hand, this piece could simply be about being innovative... and in that realm... there shouldn't be any limitations... yet there's (in my view) a reality check in the "poker chips" stanza... -- it seems to me like it's saying "only dream of those things that can come true"... -- regardless of whether i'm reading this piece as intended, i think it's very intriguing and thought-provoking... -- it'll likely stay with me for a long, long time...

[wolfshrew]

Always glad to see writing that isn't pretty.

[...]

SF...really? I mean, I think of s**t like "how did we get past the Van Ellen radiation belt, or is water responding to emotion or is it just dancing form from vibration, or are we really more awake when we're asleep. You are obviously a genius, and you think about graphic displays of sharing the experience of an in grown hair? Hilarious! I usually leave here shaking my head and laughing...

[justjenn_2u]

I see sadistic yet straight forward humor which is my style. I digged this and a good read. Different than most poetry I find here.

[LA Lorena]

Your poetry is very unique, and never fails to leave me asking more questions than your words themselves answer. Most poetry can be forgotten by the final word. This lingers.

[Audrey Howitt]

meristematic--I am not sure I want to see my chin divide--I always find your mind a fascinating place--great write !

[J]

you are definitely guilty of having one of the more aberrant senses of humanity i've seen around this joint ........... [that's a compliment] ;) the second stanza quacked me up as jay leno's chin briefly flashed before me. and after that -- i was just g.o.n.e. ;) your mind moves in mysterious rotations, frank. to the delight of all of us.

[kmartell]

Hugely good