HARD TO RESIST

Paul Bowles on Jane

Of course she was my kind

of girl, terrorizing her neighbor-

hood—painting the wet laundry

blue, jumping horses at a boarding

school where Janie was the only

                                               Jew, 

egging me on in my mimicry of

Truman Capote when she was clearly

the master. She said she made sloppy

stews on a hot plate for him in a Paris

hotel room years after I tried to show

                                               my bride

to the only woman who could tell me

what to do. Hello, Alice. Freddie here.

Did you receive my petit bleu? I want

to introduce my wife Jane to Miss Stein

and you. Summer 1938 not to be—

                                               Gertrude

and Alice leaving for the country side. Soon

the war separating us. Then Jane’s novel

making me believe I could pick up the pen

and write words of consequence. She was

my kind of muse: elusive, comically dark,

                                               hard to resist.

July 2018

Karren LaLonde Alenier

THERAPY

I took a week off

from grief to laugh

with friends my Greek

family the Greeks

who invented tragedy

also invented comedy

in the theater of loss

levity hides in the back

row I find my late spouse

there his arms around me

wanting to neck before

the lights dim I hand him

a stick of giggle gum I

contort my arms to wave

an elephant nose I say

jump in your fire red race

car and go when I shout po-

lice slow to a crawl these

silly acts alter my body

chemistry I clap and chant

very good very good yay

for days my man Jim inhabits

this child’s play we couple in joy

© Copyright, KARREN LaLONDE ALENIER.
All Rights Reserved.