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5/03/2010

The Nighttime Stomach


When he falls asleep I know it’s because he’s lying
   on the boring side of my face.

I don’t sleep. I crouch inside of myself
   and talk gently to the dog that looks like Lassie

who lives in the nighttime stomach.
   Her head is tilted sideways like it’s missing

a stitch. What is it, Girl? I follow her
   through the wet newspaper tunnel of my intestines.

Someone could be trapped in there.
  Is it trouble at the well?

My impulses move like iridescent fruit flies
   against a stain glass backdrop. It’s like I’m trespassing

through some hollow church and flinching
   at the echo of my footsteps. The stomach

is a jar glowing with swarms of red
   candles. Lassie leads me

to a familiar chalkboard in there. Last night,
   I stayed late and wrote believe me,

believe me,
two hundred times. When the words
   are erased I can use the dust to dry everything up.

On the outside, a toothbrush lies
   down in the medicine cabinet. A drawer hangs

open like a child peering over a bridge.
   The stairs stack themselves in darkness.

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