j.m. ó faoláin – 3 ditties

a fellow poet

we found them
prancing in clover
a dark room
on the 1st floor
tar-coloured shit 
strewn across the walls
they didn’t wanna, so
we tussled on the mattress
a flea’s trapeze
(4 hours later)
not a doc in sight
a cheese sandwich
several cups of juice
now, a smile
i sniffed out that soul
asking about those words
that make
ya 
shake
and they liked
e.e but couldn’t
recall a line
so we sat there
as their dreams
of slam poetry
and new york, new york
faded in the yellow-green
hospital bay
and they hollered
that I was a
          dirty.
          fucking.
          pig.
sure, sure
but i knew
i woulda said the same


Juanita, or whomever i mean to address

her eyes
o shit man
it all began
with those
eyes
they plead
but i couldn’t
help at all
i could hardly
                        help myself
we were both
new to this
her, five years my senior
pessoa taught me
so i understood
when she said 
          see ya!
to a former self
i embraced
whoever 
waltzed & wandered
through that door
and needing relief
she bashed her face
against her reflection
her and that strange,
                     stranger
and
neither of them
will leave me


pretending to get high with my cat (a coping mechanism)

she’s no longer here,
i said
the cat stared back
what do you care
you still get fed
look
(the bowl was full)
still, he stared
have a drink like me
but cats don’t care for whiskey
he scratched
the persian rug
we got half off
at that flea market
in your dad’s hometown
leave it alone, i begged
but
he kept going
looking right through me
well, do u want a hit
there
we inhaled
the cat purred
i purred too
and life was 
s t i l l 
as the last drop of
honey water goes
down,
            down,
down.
and we both cared


J.M. Ó FAOLÁIN is a 26-year-old with a bachelor of arts in philosophy from the University of Western Ontario. He served in the Canadian Armed Forces as both a cavalry officer and then an infantry officer for six years. He bounced at several prominent bars in the Toronto area. He has had several poems published in High Horse Magazine and was shortlisted by Palette Poetry Magazine for the Resistance and Resilience prize.


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