Saturday, October 30, 2010

"Shake and Cough" Apparently Rhymes with "Nabokov"

I Hope I Don't Have You Next Semester, But
Edwin Godsey

before you step out
Aphrodite
honey
hold your ear down close to the conch
and see can you make out
any
noises.




Another one I read early in my poetry obsession, this one I've never been able to quite nail down. At first it just seems to be a great teacher-student kiss-off but after a few reads it starts to get a creepy, abusive "Don't Stand So Close to Me"-type vibe.









Then after a few more reads there's a mythological undertone that's almost more haunting than the other stuff. Just think of all the fun things teachers have to look forward to...

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