Allie
by Henry Mai
To show you I’m serious I’ve cleaned out my ears and left
a big long boulevard just for you. Though if you had just
spoken a little louder, Maybe the Q-tip wouldn’t have
slipped and left a buzzing where bloody sirens used to be.
Inner ear damage can be a real catastrophe,
And I’m doing fine by the way, I just wished you would
have warned me about the vertigo that leads to an upset
stomach like I’ve just gulped down a gallon of tear gas.
Epictetus once said We have two ears and one mouth
so we can listen twice as much as we speak
Now that was a fine Greek. My one working ear,
I guarantee, is all yours.
why do you have to look so angry?
My tongue waggles only for you,
Should I jam it down your throat it is only
In desperation to understand
What it means to be choked by love.
My Hands caress you because it is I who am unsteady,
My Hands I need to prop myself up during dizzy spells
on the back of your neck.
About the Author
Henry Mai is a recent graduate of the College of Wooster, who currently lives in Vermont.