Magnetic poetry

or “Nonsense Poems for Teenagers”. Goofing around on my tiny fridge with some magnetic poetry I received for Valentine’s Day.

give me some sugar, baby

Year of the Rat

The sky was blank, but
the light on in your window
looked like a full moon.

Woordbeests (after Theo Jansen’s Beach Animals)

This is Theo Jansen.
This poem is a first draft but I really wanted to post it. Suggestions are welcome.

He builds poems in his basement,
made from pages and pressure and ink:
fist-sized haikus that crawl slowly,
clusters of couplets with flapping sails,
long-legged villanelles kicking in waves.
(He’s working his way up to an epic.)
He practices walking them back and forth,
powered by his little puffs of breath.
One day they will live on their own,
walking away from criticism and
dodging misinterpretation.
For now, they need his help.