Harold Rhenisch

Scruples

or Put That Peroxide Down!

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Poetry

Rain Press, January 2004. 20 pp 8.5 x 5.5 $5.

 

Read a Sample

This was a selection from Living Will, which I took to Toronto in January and February of 2004, so I could have some fun sharing it with audiences. The city might have shut down in a snowstorm, but we were in great shape at The Renaissance Café, with the beers of the world on tap, and the musicians at the Mic. This is my reading copy. Looks a bit beat up, doesn't it! The really great news is that Living Will is now out. Check it out right here.

142. I Warn You: I Can Only Take So Much

                      
 
I can't keep out of bed. You're cold as Winnipeg.
What is it you hate, exactly? That I love you? 
That we might get caught? I look forward to it.
Just compare: my love; your hate. There's no contest.
It's possible to love hate, but not to hate love,
and you're sure a fine one to let such words
slip past your lips (bright with a tease of scarlet lipstick), 
on a tongue that's licked a lot of pricks, 
and has whispered into as many lovers' ears, 
making other wives sleep lonely in cold beds. 
Adultery is not a crime, you know,
and it doesn't have to be a quick grope
under the sheets. Stay the night. I love you 
for the same reason you love those pretty boys 
your eyes undress on the street, just as I do 
to you, be sure of that. That's how we met. 
Have pity, and in time you'll be pitied, too, 
but if you try to keep a lover on the side
while pushing me away, watch out: your door 
swings both ways. And shuts.