Narratives by Brad Elliott

Brad Elliott is a poet and playwright, and long time resident of New Orleans. His works have been featured in various literary magazines including YAWP: a Journal of Poetry & Art. He currently lives in Tennessee.

 

narratives
(for shawn hall)

 

i

ON THE HORIZON yonder vunder AMONG rojo FIELDS avoid BLUE GREEN
OR YELLOW like WHEN X protests for ICE CREAM cake SUN and more RUM
in the morning REMemBER it's not CHICAGO and don't forget TWO BRUSH
yr TEETH this could be a test MASSIVE TEETH TONGUE and pink HEARTs
who are all these DAMM doctors in a DISH in the DESERT in the COUNTRY
with the WHITE MOON and the COYOTES barking.

ii

LOOK AT the SEA the RED ice cream KING TRIUMPHANT mr. POTATO
HEAD and the BEATTLE QUEEN make iRRitating company FLOATing ON ICE
THEIR BELLIES a whale shoot BELOW on dry LAND a thousand WHITE
whiffle balls or BUSY SHEEP combat animation CIRCLing IN DISTRESS
thinking about extinction and exploding market needs iNSEPaRABLE LIKE
SIAMESE TWINS.

iii

What is THIS BLOWFISH some kind of CANDY CANE CODE she
remembered her left EAR like an OSTRICH upside down in the air JUST
REMeMBER whatever happens dON't let them take my ear like PIERRE the
crying CLOWN INSTEAD take this box of hats and ribbons leave your job
and flee westward BUT don't let BUCKWHEAT DIE or BLOOD FLOW
BACKWARDS.

iv

In rural OREGON there is nothing you can do about lovers in threes
FALLING CHERRIES and elementary school teachers in rural OREGON a
two eyed baby died and sometimes the men have three or four bunnies
with pink ears who smell like GOATs what good is silk is POETRY amid the
shifting urbanization FUNISIA DORTHEAS live peaceful lives hitting you
mid calf in dense clusters at buddhist parks in rural OREGON.