“Companion Piece” Poetry

On February 8th I shared a poem with you called ‘Create Me Again’. As you MIGHT infer from the title, the poem had metaphysical/religious overtones and themes. Snake Nation Review published that poem several years ago, and right across the page from it was the following poem. If you asked ME, ‘Create Me Again’ is the better poem, but this poem has a lot of cool images and a bitter sense of irony to it which makes it interesting, too. And it’s probably the largest extended metaphor I’ve ever published.

I think. You be the judge.

Dinner In Nod

I see that it’s some sort of meal underway, that they bake
Some sort of fulfillment of truth they must make
But you can only make certain kinds of sandwiches
With just lettuce and lunchmeat

After they armed me with the best weapons to be found
They sent me to the cupboard to search for my crown
But it seems that I’ve lost my way
Between my bed and the kitchen

For years they have served in one house with one cook
Rejoicing and singing and using one recipe book
While I chose to find myself a more substantial dinner
Among the roaches, the rats, the whores, and the sinners
But one can only fend off smaller rodents
With a butter knife
And it’s hard to eat gravy
When it’s become this cold

Now I cannot start my fire in this rain
And I cannot feel rejoiceful in this pain
If their truth was so true, God, please explain
Why my sandwich is all soggy and why I feel so much like Cain
I can’t grow anything, God
I’m not able