Poems
by KJ Hannah
Greenberg
Parvenus’ Pals
Upstart. Climber. Former Minion. Arriviste. Nouveau-famous. Kip.
When coupled with a recherché mate, with a rare, exotic, obscure, yes,
Exquisite, unusual, extraordinary being, they tend toward indolent ways.
Sometimes, erstwhile the unknowns seem meretricious, i.e., lack real value.
Otherwise, such creatures, filled with integrity or not, appear erroneously
Vaunted. They’re unwarrantedly praised, maybe elsewise boasted about until
Their personal apotheosis becomes that singular moment when their popularity
Peaks. Such culminations, those true anticlimaxes, provide no prelapsarian event.
Rather, innocence lingers as the province of their partners, of those stellar
Beings framed as unspoiled successes. Subsequently, the “glamorous” halves
Get discarded as measly, appendicular sorts. They’re no longer of use to lovers
Nor entertaining to themselves. At such times, they make grand valedictions, wither.
Inside My Zeda: Word Police
In my patrol car, I appreciate how titles’ impact matters. See,
Neither handfuls of cash nor neighborhood rankings equally
Demonstrate prestige. Likewise, nothing of reputation ought
To compensate for others’ perceptions.
Yas! Sometimes, I succeed in calming laity. Otherwise, I
Gloze, attempt fawning language in lieu of rational words
(Dog scouts, girl and boy scouts excluded.) Semantic cops
Gotta be aware of fagins and influencers, alike.
Intrinsic property, uniquely unanalyzable, like motes annexed by
Lexicons as normal terms for “reginas,” “ranis,” “ghetto queens,”
Creates accounts of communication practices plus achievements
(Rhetoric stumps many bystanders.)
Altogether, relativistic views, akin to sirens or flashing lights, can
Confuse degree, depth, the nature of variation. Commensurability,
Like conceptual origin, has no functional embodiment lags when
Dissimilar identities heed fascistic ukases.
It’s accepted that situational constraints, too, if not sanctioned, pick
Both philosophy and linguistic foci vis-à-vis morality and meaning.
Yet, educing them moves the uninitiated to hiss all manner of hatred
About externally imposed limits on contending.
Entwined ends and means, that is, experiences’ processes, products,
Best protect people if supported by us folk in blue. Enforcement’s
Not the nexus of weaponized terms, but the marshalling of bygone
Sentiments that allude to shared origins.
Grateful for Tiny Toes
It’s not fluctuations in the housing market,
Nor the relative esteem of specific hair dyes,
But ears so tiny as to seem unreal. Similarly,
It’s sleeping infants’ hushed, ethereal breath
That oozes up the best of human intentions.
Parents’ lives, in the end, remain not an iota
Focused on cooking dinner, taking out trash,
Admiring our neighbors’ gardens. Fain, we
Snuggle our babies in “nursing chairs,” stay
Up too late even as regarding downy arms.
Territorial arguments as find favor with our
Furry judges rarely take into account button
Nose beauty, round bellies, wee toes. Moms,
Dads tend, instead, to let pets freely sleep in
Cribs, on sheepskin mats and changing tables.
Recycling’s not limited to cans, nor sorting to
Laundry. Adults become craven confronting
Miniature people, newly baked boys & girls.
Our gratitude’s muddled with awe, our hope
With wisdom, our fostering’s gladly tattered.
