Breakfast
Fifth ring of the phone got me up.
Electronic clock by the bed
flashed 2:30 pm.
It was my mother on the line.
I tried to fake my voice,
so it sounded as if I was
awake for many hours,
when I told her I was busy
doing research on my novel.
She didn't buy it.
She knew I was sleeping.
For the first time in weeks,
she hung up on me first.
I got up. Shaved my cactus.
Found some underwear to wear.
Paraded outside to get my newspaper.
Looking into the fridge,
I felt hungry - at least
that was a good sign.
However, fridge was empty,
with an exception of two eggs.
I threw a pan on the burner
with some butter in it,
watched the butter melt and slide
on the warming bottom.
I could feel the patronizing gaze
of my cockatoo, as I brought
two eggs to the stove.
The bird looked as if it wanted
to ask me for a blind fold.
I cracked the eggs on the rim
of the pan, fried them,
then ate them, facing the cockatoo.
After breakfast,
I smoked two cigarettes, looking
absentmindedly on the blank pages
scattered around my room.
I opened the gate
of the cockatoo's cage,
and got back in bed.
Let him fly about my cage,
while I sleep doing some more research.
Electronic clock by the bed
flashed 2:30 pm.
It was my mother on the line.
I tried to fake my voice,
so it sounded as if I was
awake for many hours,
when I told her I was busy
doing research on my novel.
She didn't buy it.
She knew I was sleeping.
For the first time in weeks,
she hung up on me first.
I got up. Shaved my cactus.
Found some underwear to wear.
Paraded outside to get my newspaper.
Looking into the fridge,
I felt hungry - at least
that was a good sign.
However, fridge was empty,
with an exception of two eggs.
I threw a pan on the burner
with some butter in it,
watched the butter melt and slide
on the warming bottom.
I could feel the patronizing gaze
of my cockatoo, as I brought
two eggs to the stove.
The bird looked as if it wanted
to ask me for a blind fold.
I cracked the eggs on the rim
of the pan, fried them,
then ate them, facing the cockatoo.
After breakfast,
I smoked two cigarettes, looking
absentmindedly on the blank pages
scattered around my room.
I opened the gate
of the cockatoo's cage,
and got back in bed.
Let him fly about my cage,
while I sleep doing some more research.