Violet Dances (Poem) and John Sings (Poem)

These are the first 2 poems in a series about these 2 characters (John and Violet).


Violet Dances

But John sings, belting notes like beating bricks
with bare hands, hoping the noise breaks--
hoping that when he's done his fingers won't retreat to pockets
and find that ten that went through the wash.

Violet dances, sending symptoms of stasis
through onlooker's backs.
Swinging in swing circles,
and skipping through the notes that John attacks.

Violet, how long has it been since we've tasted
uncorrupted wind? No haze of bar baked smoke
from the sidewalk hoverers, or the juice
from beer-embalmed breaths.

Instead, we have a filter that works through osmosis of the eyes,
spheres launching from far ends.


John Sings

But Violet dances, twisting limbs and twitching hips
relaxing her body through twirling motion.
Relaxing her muddy eyes that only see
what each tumbling black curl will allow.

John sings, throwing fits into the grated cage of the mic,
curling his lips to accent the high notes he's about to hit.
The snap of his voice cranes necks to center stage,
but Violet's neck swivels through.

John, how long has it been since we've littered
a sidewalk? A losing lottery ticket dropped
to meet concrete and left to float on...oil-soaked
cellophane thrown from a window, it may never dry.

Instead, we have the mobility to launch our arms skyward,
fan out our fingers and hope someone else does the same.