One Poem
Dimitri Karaostas
you smell a certain way
in the morning
quiet because
i love looking at your face
it’s history
“i was been,”
not “i have been”
repeating the verb
of the main clause
after the
clause itself
i used to be skinny
and toned but
too soft for nudes now
out of season
ice in coffee
rose, peach tree
continued domestic functions
such as
doing the dishes
and laundry
you extremely calm
exchanging meaningful looks
in the mirror
knowing there are two single portions
of pre-mixed salad in the fridge
for before work
and after
easing your anxious conditions
editing the few
remaining facts
without independent verification
renaming the house
as the office
which doubles
as the studio
which holds a different function
than the office
it’s not the work,
it’s the job!
if i censor it,
the whole syntax changes!
the trail was dusty and smelled like dog
the jogger jogged and
shouldn’t even have been there
i don’t care for nature and its messes
i return to the city and shower immediately
the love of my life
doesn’t understand
why i do these things
my big lips teeth not super white at all
probably having something green in between them
plaque, yeah
whole face not-symmetrical and nose
bent from broken and some sort of
permanent black eye from no sleep
blackheads that don’t leave after being squeezed
or 200$ skin treatments on the east end
also eyebrows too thin and my moustache also
with the rest of my face hair too dark somehow
i never seem to shave enough
my hair is always stupid cut and stupid styled
almost always scowling or frowning because
that’s my face when i think
i don’t think about it
my glasses are smudged and bent
i don’t look in the mirror
to fix them and
that’s why
why what
there are 24,000 poetry awards
with annual prizes
totalling
$6,788,800
Dimitri Karaostas is a chronic self-publisher based in Toronto. His newest book, The #1 Bestselling Epic Poetry Book on Amazon Dot Com, comes out in January 2020. All his books are available to download at http://themostqualifiedpersonforthejob.com.