Things to Ask About and other works by Ben Luton

 

Poet Ben Luton lives in Arabi, Louisiana.

 

Things to Ask About

rotting smell on back of throat
warty bumps in back of tongue
the ear pain connecting to throat on left side
bodily twitches

 

The Food Intent

Investal corpses         Blur-tunnel:
coated men, a dog ringing (at whose eye?) leashes
Blink at the candle and the tower cums, the swallowed roof.

Occasional digesting vacations, new books (their possible cuts)
Like for when guns echo out the backdoor
into the birdbath. Quit fidgeting. your nails
growing long after to some metronome I
muffle: restaurant anniversary, the tip:

           I heard it's going to rain tonight.

 

Hypothermia or Outlet's Grin

Where am I? We chainsaw boats, half-
mouthing. Sterile rust, pressed weeds in journals, sum my shaking
footing said OFF. Shovel our eyes,
lights-craters of milk and scripts, of
prodigal addicts-digested. "Deported
virgins" soak the gauntlet, our
laugh-in introduction.

 

The Appended Poem

immediately
woman: no voice
a little watches me
loving the bees, saran
gale of you, I vomit dome
sorry these ranked thunder
comeback come back
your breasts and the triangle
I am seeking professional help
I will move
in skipped, the shoving tiger
swallow's cancel flashlight
let go, ask has in blue