Marilyn L. Taylor
At the Cocktail Party
I can’t ignore, I can’t explain
the way my retrogressive brain
can almost always ascertain
with little effort, zero strain,
the men with whom I’d stand to gain
what every grown-up would maintain
was one of those adult, humane
relationships that entertain
no possibility of pain,
no Here I Go Again refrain—
and wouldn’t nurture my insane
desire to go against the grain,
seeking out the perfect vein
in which to shoot some Novocain.
And yet I’m always heading for
those characters I should ignore—
the ones with habits I deplore:
their tendencies to hog the floor
intoning words like "heretofore"
and dumping too much private lore
on those they’ve never met before,
like they’ve had kinky sex galore
but found it a terrific bore--
then whispering just how much more
a night with me might have in store.
Nevermore. Ah, nevermore.
Just watch me march: one two three four
bass-ackwards out the kitchen door.
Been Thinking
If I can promise you a frosty draft
of Bud Lite when we get there, can we go
to Nashville? Kansas City? Branson Mo?
I’m craving country music—that whole raft
of anthems from the boys who do it best,
star-twangled-banners from the girls who strayed
and lied and loved, and finally got laid
by some hot cowpoke in a leather vest.
Been thinking, off and on, of Toby Keith,
the way his fingers pluck that blue guitar;
I dream up porno movies (he’s the star)
on how those fingers feel from underneath—
but never mind; it’s high time we departed.
Get in the car. Shut up. Don’t get me started.
--Previously published in The Seven Very Liberal Arts, Aralia Press, 2006
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MARILYN TAYLOR’s poems have appeared in Poetry, The American Scholar, The Ledge, Measure,The Atlanta Review, and many other journals. She has received a number of awards for her work in national publications, and her latest full-length collection, titled Subject to Change, was nominated for the Poets Prize in 2005. She is a Contributing Editor for The Writer magazine, where her articles on poetic craft appear bi-monthly; she also teaches periodically for the Honors College at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.