Two Poems

Elisa Gabbert and Kathleen Rooney


Aubade With Clock Radio

We have the technology
but do we have the imagination

to take our fantasy to the nth
bedpost notch? I need more

spontaneous; if you expect me
to still love you tomorrow,

then you think I'm predictable.
Predict what song will come on next,

& guess what button I’ll press.
Offending you is a defense

against the studious disinterest
and/or effects of sleeplessness.



Aubade With Ceramic Deer

Add to your list of things cute & sublime:
nursery rhymes, “family rooms,” & windchimes

that “play” “Greensleeves.” You can't leave
with my favorite knick-knack. Bric-a-brac

is a philosophy, not a pastime. Being mine
means you have to develop a collection

of sinister valentines. The lipstick mouth
& the firemen in the dollhouse were here

to serve as warnings, or at least signs
that I’ve finally learned to apply myself.