it started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this?

this day, i'm astonished, still, at the ability of conversing with a beautiful-minded friend on the opposite side of the globe and brilliant rage meeting through signals in the air.

"everything has meaning!"
she yelled it loud, one of those wild girls
whose smile never leaves her mouth

it was a rare moment when she stood still.
she held it out to me, the white box
texture like the bumpy paint on the ceiling
of the motel room we stayed last summer
off-white strap, black lens asking
a question I don't know.

she'd never looked so free,
handcuffs circling her wrists,
giving me the white box's secret evidence
while the star in her left eye
glowed at me.

I flashback to the day when she
took my chin between her fingers,
the signature smile on holiday someplace warmer
"don't make it about the seams," she pleaded.
"the stitches, the thread, the color
of died wool, the exquisite Parisian buttons.

"make it about the pearl necklace
he bought from the pawn shop on
your birthday last month, and the
moment you broke that manicured nail
and he kissed the blood and earth away."

that meant something to me, and
I thought I understood her,
but as I see her uncaring shoulders disappear
now behind strict black doors,
I wish I would've asked what
does it mean to you?


_____
copyright Miss Erin McIntosh, 2010
please do not reprint without permission
Poetry Friday roundup at Some Novel Ideas

march readergirlz: Scott Westerfeld

This month, readergirlz is honored to feature author Scott Westerfeld, whose latest book Leviathan we've been discussing.

Read the March issue of readergirlz. There's a playlist for the book, plus book guide questions and party ideas.

Drop by the readergirlz blog to discuss the book with other readers, ALL MONTH LONG!

And don't forget to join us for the LIVE! chat with Scott TONIGHT, Wednesday, March 17th at 6 pm PST/9 pm EST.

Work, Sometimes

I was sad all day, and why not. There I was, books piled
on both sides of the table, paper stacked up, words
falling off my tongue.

The robins had been a long time singing, and now it
was beginning to rain.

What are we sure of? Happiness isn’t a town on a map,
or an early arrival, or a job well done, but good work
ongoing. Which is not likely to be the trifling around
with a poem.

Then it began raining hard, and the flowers in the yard
were full of lively fragrance.

You have had days like this, no doubt. And wasn’t it
wonderful, finally, to leave the room? Ah, what a
moment!

As for myself, I swung the door open. And there was
the wordless, singing world. And I ran for my life.

–Mary Oliver

Some days I feel like a 1920's film star

"Being a movie star - and this applies to all of them - means being looked at from every possible direction. You are never left at peace, you're just fair game."
"I don't want to be a silly temptress. I cannot see any sense in getting dressed up and doing nothing but tempting men in pictures."
"I never said, 'I want to be alone.' I only said, 'I want to be left alone.' There is all the difference.""There are many things in your heart you can never tell to another person. They are you, your private joys and sorrows, and you can never tell them. You cheapen yourself, the inside of yourself, when you tell them."
"If only those who dream about Hollywood knew how difficult it all is."


-all quotes by Greta Garbo

and my heart is astonished at their bravery

On today's happiness menu, we have....

_I've always had this funny wish to suddenly break out into singing a duet from high school musical, like "breaking free" or "the start of something new" with a guy, without saying it beforehand. for instance, instead of saying, oh do you want to sing this with me now, we'd just start singing it together. well that happened today and it made me happy.

_laughs with people I like.
"was that hot-and-steamy or was that hot-and-steamy!"
"truer words were never spoken."
"my dream is to be an opera singer when I grow up!"

_corey's and my making fun of the american idol judges, you should see our impersonations, we're pretty great.

_the diary of anne frank rapping with mia (oh, i'm doing this show, 'case you didn't know. playing anne marie frank.)

_home schooler jokes. when you are or were one, you're totally allowed to exploit the stereotypes.

_two performances back-to-back only fifteen minutes in between

_the boy in the audience who found out my real age and went, "WHAT?" really loud. (everyone thinks I'm thirteen.)

_when it came out last year, I had no plans of seeing inglourious basterds, I didn't, it just didn't look like my sort of film. but I kept hearing interesting stuff about it, so I finally saw it. and....I kind of loved it. and....I kind of wouldn't mind for it to win best picture on sunday (though I don't think it will. but christoph waltz is sure to win best supporting actor {brilliance alert!}, so that is something). anyway, it was really magnificently done. smart and beautiful and delicate and bold. my brother and i laughed most at the special feature--the film within the film. we were just dying.