Neuroses For Nicole by Maryann Hazen-Stearns

Neuroses For Nicole
by Maryann Hazen-Stearns


Today is the next day      again.
I coalesce and check the obituary
for my name.  If it’s there,
I’ll lie      back       down,
let the mites
     have at me.

We have a special relationship;
     they snack on the leftovers
in my clothing but
     I sleep on fresh plastic sheets
          each night.

A 2 ½ hour morning shower
takes care of any       hangers on.

I brush my teeth
in front of the wall
where a mirror      used to be.

 The reflection kept speaking to me
 in a frothing foreign language.

Sometimes, when I touch  myself
I’m sure     someone else
     has done it.

I have a favorite fork, spoon & knife,
a special plate & glass.

When I finish,  the clean plate
goes on counter (on the daisy tile),
glass on plate utensils in glass

and all      are      covered
     in    plastic   wrap.

When the phone  r~i~n~g~s
     I can’t answer
in case it’s me
calling.

Everyday I vacuum line patterns
    in the carpet, then dust
         then vacuum, then dust
              then vacuum, then dust
then back away into the kitchen
    so as not to disturb
         the line patterns
              or the dust.

My Therapist suggests tending a garden
but I can’t dig in the ground
for fear of         unearthing
     human remains
which may be          mine.

After dinner and a shower
I fluff plastic pillows
and
     p
       l
        u
          n
            g
              e
                headlong into
another
      neurotic night.

Look up other pieces by Maryann Hazen-Stearns in the Author Index.

Maryann Hazen-Stearns has recently completed her first hard copy collection of poetry entitled Under The Limbo Stick, courtesy of Straw House Press, with a second collection underway. She also enjoys her current position as Poetry Editor of the award winning internet magazine, The Writer's Hood. She is an Associate Member of Poets & Writers and an active member of The Writer's Village University. She has five self-published chapbooks. Maryann has had the privilege of being published internationally in hundreds of magazines and anthologies in electronic and hard copy format. She's won many awards and contests, has been interviewed on several occasions and has made two guest appearances on The Helen Wiener TV Show. She is also the proud recipient of the Silver Rose Award for Poetic Achievement. She also enjoys judging poetry contests, that is, when she hasn't entered in the contest herself! On a more personal note, Maryann loves Renaissance Faires, birdhouses, her pet hamster, and reading. Other hobbies include needlepoint and gardening. She has an awesome tin collection and avoids the kitchen as much as possible.

RoW

Jump back to Rustlings of the Wind

No works in Rustlings of the Wind may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise without permission in writing from the copyright owner of the works.

editor webmaster