Heidi K. Haskell

To Whomever's Been Trying to Fax Here for Two Hours

Oh, the ringing is making me nervous.
Wonder what I have done to deserve this?
...

When my feet itch for greener roads
And my ears burn in want of sweeter tones,
I take up my pen to make a Prince from toads -
A knight of ink and paper, not flesh and bones.
...

And will it make him love you
To be sparkling and witty and gorgeous,
To be self-assured, self-aware, self-self?
Will it fix the mistakes you've made -
...

Or
I’ve Written Too Many Love Poems

Of all the words of love and woe,
...

So rest assured in assonance,
Sweet dissonance, and diffidence-
Justly eschewing affluence;
Pretend poverty's on purpose.
...

(And Other Such Mature Reactions)

Some souls may select their own society and close the door,
But most of us wind up alone when someone shuts the door in our face.
...

I see you there
Or at least I think I can -
Intentionally vivisectified
By your own hand
...

Come see the Amazing Not There Girl!
For two nickels come gape and come stare!
She never says boo,
Wears a number ten shoe
...

'Stop moaning, stop crying, ' they tell you.
'The world is not ending - be strong.'
But the world keeps on ending and ending,
And somehow still keeps going on.
...

Did I leave the oven on?
Did I turn the AC off?
Did that fax go through?
Did I spell that right?
...

Don't know what I was expecting.
Maybe that you could be the adult for once.
Although I act just like you,
And I always try to avoid responsibility.
...

Same old trials, tweaking the nerves of my OCD.
Same old decline into madness.
Counting each brain cell as it dies of ennui.
Every interruption delivered with unholy relish;
...

The phone rings, and it's you again, bumbler.
Wish you would your excitement encumber.
I am close to the brink;
For, despite what you think,
...

I am
Slowly disappearing
Into a horrible creature
I hoped I'd never become.
...

...

The Library knows what it wants you to read;
The Library reads you back.
It brings you the titles it knows that you need
To fill in the words that you lack.
...

My friend, you ought not to say such things to me.
For it's evident how little you realize
A person can fall so fast and so foolishly,
Carelessly pulling wool over her own eyes.
...

I did something foolish today.
Too heedlessly I thought of you.
Now my heart is singing away.
Lord, what a stupid thing to do!
...

Actually, I had a thought about Beginnings,
Because they're notoriously easy things to Catch.
Clearly, though we plan to the smallest Detail,
Definitely the trick is easy Enough.
...

The art of doing Nothing
Ce n’est pas très difficile-
Allow your thoughts to wander
Circumnavigate your mind
...