Janet Kuypers
So-
so the hotel I was in
didn’t have a continental breakfast
so i looked for a diner
for a bagel for breakfast
so i pulled into some dive
and i just sat there
i kept me head down
i don’t like looking at strangers
so i kept my head down
looking at my writings
and i didn’t even notice
my head was buried in my words
but the lady walked over
and dropped the bomb
of liquid into the coffee cup
into my upturned glass
i watched this black mass
sloshing around, contained but violent
as she walked away
i don’t like coffee, you see
and i could have stopped her
said no thanks
but this was my fault
as much as it was hers
so there i was
staring at this coffee
that i don’t even like
so i’ve got this bailey’s flask in my pocket
i guess that tells you something about me
but
if i’m going to have coffee
i’ll sweeten it with anything
so my eyes dart right, then left
then right again
make sure no one’s watching me
so i open the flask
under the table
then
slowly drizzle in the creme
i watch it form a mushroom cloud
from within that contained bomb
i try to remember where i am
where i’ve been
i didn’t know
that on the other side of the country
you just died
i just looked at my coffee
that i don’t even like
and wondered if i should drink
—-
Janet Kuypers
observer’s love poem-
maybe I’m not a writer
maybe I’m not an artist
maybe I’m an observer
like an astronomer
looking out past the solar system, past the Kuiper Belt
looking out into the universe
trying to understand what makes everything
everything
I travel around the world
learning different histories, different cultures
I fly in airplanes
I jump from airplanes
I pilot airplanes
trying to get closer to the stars
molecule by molecule,
we originate from stars
and I know we are all linked,
our bodies formed from stardust
but outer space
is a violent place
violent explosions create the stars
and our earth has earthquakes,
avalanches, volcanoes
tsunamis, typhoons
and in all this madness
somehow I’ve found you
with you I have walked on the tops of glaciers
with you I have watched solar storms
from near the Arctic Circle
with you I have walked through the gates
of Hitler’s first concentration camp
with you I have sailed from island to island
retracing the Origin of Species
I bought a balalaika for my guitarist in Russia
I’ve even held your hand at the Great Wall of China
as I said before,
I’m only an observer
and with these observations,
I thee wed
because I will never let you go
I’ve seen galaxies collide
I’ve seen comets smash into planets
I’ve seen supernovae and the death of stars
and in all of that, I still found you
as I said, I’m only an observer
but I’ve found what I’ve been looking for
I’ll tighten my grip on your hand
because I don’t ever want to let you go
——-
Janet Kuypers is a professional performance artist, a writer, photographer, and a literary magazine editor, while running Scars Publications, which hosts two literary magazines, publishes books and releases CDs. She has had 53 books published (poetry, prose, novels and art), has sung in 3 acoustic bands, and worked with 8 music groups (combining her poetry with music. Her CD releases (38 in 2008) appear at iTunes and other online vendors, and she also produced a monthly iPodCast and an Internet radio station (2005-2009), found through http://scars.tv or http://www.janetkuypers.com. She is also the host of the weekly poetry open mic at the Cafe in Chicago (http://www.chaoticarts.org/thecafe)
