THREE POEMS

JOANNE DOMINIQUE DWYER

The Rings of Saturn Santo Jesus, did you have a jeweled number?Did you play spin-the-bottle in your day?What colors and configurations of glass? I imagine there were no remedies for cleft palatesbut that people loved their penned animals:brushed their fur and picked the stones from their hooves. Were there weather reports?Moonshine or other illicit contraband?Did any cornrow their hair? I love nine best; for the absent finger or toe.Born without, or vanished in a sharp-implement accident.For the woman felling a tree; a man making blood sausage. The saintly flaw of the animal born without a tail.Dumbo’s mother was deemed mad and locked up.How deformity drives the value of a neighborhood down. Were there fire extinguishers; antacids?To be dressed to the nines meant a tailor usednine yards of fabric to fashion a suit or silken dress. Did they…

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The American Poetry Review (Digital) - 1 Issue, September/October 2019

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