My Favorite Poems

On a Yellow Piece of Paper With Green Lines

Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines

He wrote a poem

And he called it "chops"

Because that was the name of his dog

And that's what it was all about

His teacher gave him an A

And a gold star

And his mother hung it on the kitchen door

And read it to his aunts

That was the year Father Tracy took all the kids to the zoo

And let them sing on the bus

And his little sister was born

With tiny nails and no hair

And his mother and father kissed a lot

And the girl around the corner sent him a

Valentine signed with a row of Xs

And he had to ask his father what the row of Xs meant

And his father always tucked him in bed at night

And was always there to do it

Once on a white piece of paper with blue lines

He wrote a poem

He called it "Autumn"

Because that was the season

And that's what it was all about

And his teacher gave him an A

And asked him to write more clearly

And his a mother never hung it on the kitchen door

Bucause of the new paint

And the kids told him

That Father Tracy smoked cigars

And left the butts on the pews

And sometimes they'd burn holes

That was the year his sister got glasses

With thick lenses and black frames

And the girl around the corner

Laughed when he asked her to go see Santa ClausClaus

And the kids told him why

His mother and father kissed a lot

And his father never tucked him I'm at night

And his father got mad

When he asked for him to do it

Once on a paper torn from his notebook

He wrote a poem

He called it "innocence: A question"

Because that was the question about his girl

And that's what it was all about

And his professor gave him and A

And a strange steady look

And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door

Because he never showed herher

That was the year Father Tracy died

And he forgot how the end

Of Apostoles Creed went

And he caught his sister

Making out on the back porchporch

And his mother and father never kissed

Or even talked

And the girl around the corner

Wore too much makeupmakeup

That made him caught when he kissed her

But he kissed her anyways

Because that was the thing to do

And at 3 am he tucked himself into bed

With his father snoring soundly

That's why on 5he back of a brown paper bag

He tried another poem

He called it "Absolutely Nothing"

Because that's what it was really all about

And he gave himself an A

And a slash on each damned wrist

And hung it on the bathroom door

Because he didn't think

he could make it to the kitchen