Two poems by HOLLY DAY

AGAIN, UNDER THE SUN

flower bulbs and bright-colored beads

dead civilizations mark the path

crumble under our feet.

battered skyscrapers that loom like mausoleums

forgotten long before the end of the world.

take to the road. tilted blue street signs

sunlight glints through the hollowed-out eyes

we load up our post-apocalyptic fortunes

for headless mannequins wearing scant threads of fashions

streets built wide enough for ox-carts.

FIVE YEARS OLD IS TOO YOUNG TO SEE THIS WORD

I hear radio reports reporting, television shows broadcasting

school janitors with secret torture chambers

and I wonder how they can ask me

the trusted neighbor caught trafficking child pornography

children bringing weapons to school and I

papal heads arrested for raping boys, daycare providers hiding the dead

underground cannibal cults exposed by undercover agents exposing

drunk driving accidents involving dozens of dead

wonder when it’s safe to send him out the door, and to school

**

HOLLY DAY has taught writing classes at the Loft Literary Center in Minnesota, since 2000. Her published books include Music Theory for Dummies, Music Composition for Dummies, Guitar All-in-One for Dummies, Piano All-in-One for Dummies, Walking Twin Cities, Insider’s Guide to the Twin Cities, Nordeast Minneapolis: A History, and The Book Of, while her poetry has recently appeared in Oyez Review, SLAB, and Gargoyle. Her newest poetry book, Ugly Girl, just came out from Shoe Music Press.