an incendiary sweetness . . . scheduler of passions . . . 2 poems

I had a great time on Saturday at the Rainbow Book Fair, in its eighth year.

In its seventh year was Come Hear ! -- the marathon reading organized by Nathaniel Siegal and Regie Cabico, and this year hosted by Nathaniel. As did most of the others in the line-up, I read three poems; am posting two of them below. (The third's a soon-to-be-published.)
 

Confused Words 

Woman, you show your lover your worst 

girlish passivity, an incendiary sweetness

teasing her libido each time you approach.  

And your petulance at boyish bumbling -

where the  evenness and patience offered 

those of us who ramble of our importance?

You have such good insights - friends 

admire your well-spoken depths - they do.

For her you show no depth and would she

spot it as she flexes a loud brash rendition 

of the woman she becomes seated across

a table where you pause for caffeine before

a rayon jacket-sheltered run to the place

you two tumble.  You are a couple –

you lapping at cream - her filling the
          chipped saucer as it overflows.

by Sarah Sarai / from Emily Dickinson’s Coconut Face (my Dusie Kollektiv chapbook, distributed at AWP)

Pillow Book

A train steaming out from between your thighs,
the locomotive intensity of its
exit and expressively oriental loss of your forested regions.

We pray for a layover, schedulers of passions:
hear us.

Oh, grant me a boarding pass for where
I want to visit so I can be a passenger,
a tourist in your underground,
eager for an infinity of pinks.

by Sarah Sarai / published in Gobshite Quarterly, Issue 12, 2012

Image from http://www.etsy.com/listing/104765868/leather-sketchbook-journal-pride-rainbow